BYU Communications Alum Edward Wright’s Career in Geopolitics, Service and Public Safety in Africa
After serving in the Marines, working as a firefighter and dedicating two years on a mission in Manchester, Edward Wright stepped onto BYU’s campus. “I was like a lot of students. I didn’t know what I wanted to do or who I was,” he said.
Today, the 1986 communications graduate is leading one of Uganda’s most ambitious public safety initiatives, aimed at uniting emergency services across the nation. He says the work is more than a career. “It is professional work, but it is also spiritual,” Wright said.
“I look at it the way King Benjamin described it,” he reflected. “When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God.”
Wright’s BYU years became a turning point. He double majored in public relations and journalism and was mentored by professors Ray Beckham and Alf Pratt. “They saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” he said. “They opened my horizons to a very global world.”
That mentorship and his BYU experience prepared him to work on the national stage. He interned on Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign, served as communications director for a congressman and worked in the Speaker of the House’s communications office. “My time in D.C. taught me how politics works at the highest levels,” Wright said. “What I learned there has shaped my career ever since.”
Returning west, Wright combined his communications background with his skills in emergency services. He fought wildfires, provided emergency medical services and ran his own firefighting company under a U.S. Forest Service contract. “I never really left emergency medicine or firefighting,” he said. “Sometimes I worked as a volunteer. I built fire trucks and sent crews to Montana, Colorado, Wyoming or Utah.”
That unique background positioned him to lead a $20 million, U.S.-supported public safety project in Lagos, Nigeria. The initiative delivered 34 American-built fire engines and trained personnel on their use. “It was a very visible project, supported by the U.S. government and a major U.S. manufacturer,” Wright said. “We went in, restructured it and completed it successfully.”
His connection to Uganda began in 2008 after a brief project in Zambia sparked his interest in African public safety needs. A few years later, he led a training project in western Uganda, teaching 20 people the basics of first response. At the time, he was unsure whether the project would have a lasting impact. “It felt like our efforts were small compared to the need,” Wright said. “But it planted a seed.”
That seed has grown into his current work. “Now, ten years later, we are working on public safety nationwide,” Wright said. “Leaders are recognizing that you cannot have economic development if you have insecurity — whether it is terrorism, road accidents or businesses burning down.”
Now, Wright works directly with high-ranking Ugandan officials and U.S. government agencies. His role also involves building trust and understanding across cultures. “These are real people living real lives with real problems,” he said. “The highest calling is to use talents God gave me to serve.”
In recognition of his efforts, the Buruuli tribe named him an ambassador and gave him the title “Prince Begumye,” which means “hold strong, hold fast.”
Looking back, Wright credits BYU with teaching him to adapt. “Expand your horizons,” he advised current students. “Understand the world around you, because it is changing so fast. The experiences you have now may open doors you cannot even imagine.”
