Government Public Relations Officers (PROs) are at a training workshop at Elmina in the Central Region to build their capacity to curb and stem the rising spate of misinformation and disinformation in the country, especially in the run-up to the December 2024 general elections.
The five-day training which started on Monday, 13th May 2024, has brought together about 70 Government PROs from the various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs)
Madam Justina Marigold, the Central Regional Minister, in a speech read on her behalf at the opening ceremony, appealed to the participants to implement whatever they will be taught in the five-day program at their respective places of work.
On her part, the Acting Director of ISD, Dr. Winnifred Nafisah Mahama, explained the scope, importance, and timeliness of the training to the participants, disclosing that it had become necessary for them to be exposed to such knowledge and technological sophistication in order for them to be able to fight against information disorders.
She said as the country heads into a crucial election, some unscrupulous people will increase the production of misinformation and falsehoods and that a huge responsibility lies on government public relations practitioners to be innovative and timely in their response to such developments.
The Head of the Public Relations Coordinating Division (PRCD) at ISD, Mrs. Ethel Codjoe Amissah focused her speech on the development of Artificial Intelligence and its double-edged sword effects.
She disclosed that while AI tools could be used to positively impact and facilitate the work of the public relations practitioners, they, unfortunately also have the capacity to be active agents of misinformation and disinformation.
The officers are expected to be empowered to use the appropriate digital communication tools to enhance government communication machinery.
Facilitators training the PROs are lecturers from the Department of Communication Studies and the School of Business Administration of the University of Ghana as well as the Academic City University College.
The exercise is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Information (MoI), Information Services Department (ISD) and NU Image Communications.
It also seeks to equip the PROs at the MDAs and RCCs with modern tools such as; (Artificial Intelligence and Digital Communication) in combating misinformation and disinformation to enable the officers examine the evolving landscape of digital communication platforms and their impact on information dynamics.
ISD
