The Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has encouraged government public relations Officers to use the ‘Bonsu’ platform to effectively communicate public policies and programmes and gather feedback to enable government make informed decisions and formulate responsive policies.
‘Bonsu’ is an online portal created by the Ministry of Information to support government communications. According to the Minister the platform is designed to help collate data from various Ministries, Department and Agencies to keep government informed and to be on top of issues across the country.
The information minister made this call at the 3rd Annual Government Public Relations Officers Review Summit organized by the Ministry of Information and the Information Services Department under the theme “Boosting revenue generation towards economic recovery: The role of government PROs”.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah addressing participants at the event acknowledged the critical role of government communicators and indicated that it required professionalism and commitment. He added that government communications, regardless of the administration in power, must be improved to keep stakeholders apprised of current events.
Mr. Stephen Asiedu, Head of Corporate Affairs at SIGA, commended the Ministry of Information for supporting government PROs to effectively deliver on their mandate. He admonished PROs to be open, transparent, and provide the public with accurate and timely information. He also entreated public relations professionals to be ready to engage citizens, listen to their concerns, and implement feedback to achieve corporate governance.
“Effective communication is a two-way channel that involves listening and responding to citizens. As government PROs we must actively listen to citizens’ concerns and feedback and respond in a timely and meaningful manner. This contributes to public trust and confidence in the government’s commitment to serving Ghanaians”. He stated.
The summit presented an opportunity for government, public relations officers and stakeholders to meet, deliberate, assess and develop strategies to improve government communication.
Deserving PROs for the year 2022 were also awarded to culminate the event
Dignitaries present at the summit included Hon. Oboshie Sai Cofie — Presidential Advisor on Media & Strategic Communications and Dr. Abena Animwaa Yeboah-Banin; Head of Department, Department of Communications at the University of Ghana.
Source: MOI (PR Unit)
