The Minister for Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has commended government Public Relations Officers for the efforts they make in executing their mandate in the Ministries and Agencies they serve.
He stated, “So far, we have tried to build your capacities, bringing stakeholders around the table so that you can engage with them, filing public relations outlets when there’s a PR crisis and trying to go through a certain PR crisis resolution mechanism. And I’m pleased with the kind of work you’re doing so far.”
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said this at the 2023 End-of-Year Review Meeting for State Public Relations Officers (PROs) posted by the Information Services Department (ISD) to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
The objective of the meeting was to assess the accomplishments of the State PROs in the execution of their duties at the various MDAs throughout the year and plan strategically for the 2024 year.
Highlighting the Ministry’s mandates, the Minister stated the sector’s unique role in assisting MDAs to develop and execute communications strategies for the policies and programmes of their organisations.
“It is in this regard that State PROs are spread across MDAs across the country to propagate government policies, activities and programmes.
“The other mandates of the Ministry include facilitating feedback for the central government, implementing the Right to Information (RTI) Act, leading in the development of public communication policies and representing agencies before Parliament,” he added.
The Minister stressed the importance of State PROs in countering misinformation and disinformation.
On her part, the Head of the Public Relations Coordinating Division (PRCD) of ISD, Mrs. Ethel Cudjoe Amissah, indicated that the Department sets targets for the State PROs at the beginning of the year, which are evaluated at the end of the year.
“These are our key performance indicators and we will see how each performed, know where our strengths and weaknesses lie and if need be, make some adjustments where necessary then as a team, we move on to face our challenges for the coming year,” she explained.
She mentioned the Need-to-know Series, a peer education programme, where PROs get to know all about flagship programmes in other institutions, as one of the remarkable programmes instituted by the Department this year.
“It is all geared towards making sure that the work of Government PROs is effectively carried out and felt by all,” she added.
Madam Amissah reiterated that it has become imperative that PROs understand what information disorders are and be able to identify them even in their very subtle forms.
The meeting was themed: “Curbing Misinformation and Disinformation-The Role of the Government PRO.”
Patience Anaadem, ISD
