PRAU award recognises TotalEnergies biodiversity campaign
TotalEnergies EP Uganda emerged as the winner of the Culture Champions Award and was also recognised as runner-up in the Impact Beyond Profit category, highlighting its efforts to communicate environmental responsibility alongside its commercial activities
In Murchison Falls National Park and Bugungu Wildlife Reserve, interventions focus on wildlife protection, maintaining healthy habitats and controlling invasive plant species that threaten the ecological balance
The Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) has celebrated its 50th anniversary celebrations with the 10th PRAU Excellence Awards, recognising communication professionals, agencies and organisations for their outstanding work in public relations, strategic communication and campaign management.
TotalEnergies EP Uganda, Pearl Bank, Uganda Breweries Limited and brainchild Burson were among the companies that carried the day during the awards.
TotalEnergies was recognised for its efforts to protect wildlife, restore natural habitats and promote biodiversity conservation in the Albertine Rift.
The company, operator of the Tilenga oil project, was recognised for its Acting for Sustainability: Our Biodiversity Approach campaign, which showcased its conservation interventions in the Albertine region
The 2026 PRAU Excellence Awards ceremony, held recently at the Source of the Nile Hotel in Jinja, formed part of PRAU’s 50th anniversary celebrations under the theme, A Legacy in Gold: Honouring the Cream of Public Relations.
TotalEnergies EP Uganda emerged as the winner of the Culture Champions Award and was also recognised as runner-up in the Impact Beyond Profit category, highlighting its efforts to communicate environmental responsibility alongside its commercial activities
Speaking about the recognition, Anita Kayongo, the company’s corporate affairs manager, said the acknowledgement reflects the importance of integrating biodiversity conservation into the company's operations and engaging the public on environmental protection
"Protecting biodiversity is an important part of responsible energy development. Through our conservation programmes, we want to demonstrate that economic development and environmental protection must go hand in hand. We also believe that communities, government institutions and the public have an important role to play in safeguarding Uganda's natural heritage," Kayongo said.
At the centre of the company's conservation work is the Tilenga Biodiversity Programme, which aims to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain by ensuring that conservation benefits outweigh the project's residual environmental impacts.
These ecosystems, the company says, support diverse wildlife, including elephants, chimpanzees and numerous bird species, while providing livelihoods to communities dependent on natural resources.
In Murchison Falls National Park and Bugungu Wildlife Reserve, interventions focus on wildlife protection, maintaining healthy habitats and controlling invasive plant species that threaten the ecological balance.
Along Lake Albert, the programme targets wetland conservation, particularly the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta, which supports fish breeding, birdlife and surrounding communities.
In the Budongo-Bugoma landscape, efforts focus on protecting and restoring tropical forests that provide habitats for threatened species, including eastern chimpanzees.
TotalEnergies EP Uganda works with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Ministry of Water and Environment and other conservation partners to strengthen wildlife protection, improve conservation management and support community livelihoods.
The company also applies the mitigation hierarchy, which prioritises avoiding environmental damage, minimising unavoidable impacts, restoring affected ecosystems and compensating for residual impacts.
Under this approach, infrastructure within Murchison Falls National Park was reduced from 256 hectares at the design stage to 54 hectares after construction, representing approximately 0.014% of the park
The company also supports interventions addressing poaching, deforestation and habitat degradation.
It produced five documentary episodes, four television talk shows, four television features and seven print and online articles. Radio programming included 14 talk shows and 16 skits, some delivered in local languages.
The campaign also facilitated 20 journalists to visit conservation sites, interact with experts and communities, and report on the initiatives.
It reached an estimated six million people, generated more than 356,000 social media impressions and attracted approximately 30,000 engagements.
The recognition highlights the importance of communicating conservation efforts to the public, particularly in the Albertine Rift, where Uganda's oil development and biodiversity protection interests intersect.
However, the long-term success of the programme will ultimately depend on measurable improvements in wildlife populations, restored habitats, healthy wetlands and forests, and benefits reaching surrounding communities.
Other winners
Among the night’s top winners, Airtel Uganda clinched the Reputation Champions Award, while the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) secured the Event Maestros Award. The Uganda Red Cross Society took home the Heart and Purpose Award, and Crown Beverages Limited won the Viral Gold Award
The runners-up included Stanbic Bank in the Corporate Storytellers Award category, Pearl Bank for Culture Champions, NCBA Bank for Event Maestros, TotalEnergies EP Uganda for the Impact Beyond Profit Award, and Node Group Consult for PR Powerhouse.
Whitney Najuka was recognised as the PR Rising Star, while Capita One Group received special recognition. ERA also emerged runner-up in the Policy and Persuasion Award category, while Node Consult finished runner-up for the Viral Gold Award.
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The gala further honoured the past and current presidents of the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) and recognised the sponsors and partners whose support helped sustain the association’s anniversary celebrations and awards programme.