03-05-2011
Narration: A Deputy Information Minister, Baba Jamal has ended a day's official working visits to the Upper East Region with a call on staff of the Information Services Departments to partner Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) to execute their mandate. Such collaboration, Mr. Jamal indicated will help strengthen institutional capacity for effective policy formulation and execution and as well ensure free flow of public information in pursuance of the open Government policy. Mr. Jamal made the call at Bolgatanga when he met with the staff and officers of the ISD to familiarize himself with their operations and also know of their challenges and deliberate on the way forward in addressing those challenges. He was accompanied by the Deputy Public Relations Officer, Noel Arcton Tetteh and other staff members at the headquarters. Correspondent Isaac Asare and Joyce Kantam were there for Radio Ghana.
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Mr. Jamal’s first point of call was at the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) when he and his entourage paid a courtesy call on the Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo at his office to announce their presence in the region and also brainstorm on issues that could contribute in enhancing the free flow of information through maximum and effective collaboration by key stakeholders. Present at the meeting were Municipal and District Chief Executives among other dignitaries. A staff durbar was later held in honour of Mr. Jamal to interact with staff under his ministry. The Regional Information Officer, Mr. Nelson Mba in a welcome address outlined numerous challenges militating against the operations of the ISD and mentioned inadequate staffing and lack of financial support as some of the constraints and called on the minister to help address those challenges. Mr. Mba also acknowledged the efforts of the MDCEs in the execution of their duties and encouraged them to involve the district officers in all their activities Mr. Jamal in a brief remark announced plans by his outfit to embark on a project dubbed: “Ghana Portal” which will be in a form of a website to help portray all the existing features and resources that abound in each district. The site, he said, will project the image of the country in collaboration with other agencies to attract foreign investment in consonance with government policy. He therefore charged the various MDCEs to foster close relations with staff of the ISD to enhance the flow of information in the region. He also urged the District Information Officers to work hand in hand with the MDCEs to bring out the hidden developments of their respective areas of jurisdiction. Such collaboration according to him could accelerate the rate of information at the grassroot level and importantly, expose the districts to the outside world. The Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo in his submission challenged staff of the ISD to be proactive in their activities and not relent on their effort in executing their mandate as the mouthpiece of the government. He challenged them to put behind them all political influences but rather remain neutral in their operations and work towards improving the flow of information in the country. Mr. Woyongo, moreover, stressed on the urgent need for maximum corporation between staff of the ISD and the MDCEs to bring information to the doorstep of the public. At a press meeting held at the RCC, Mr. Woyongo charged the media to exercise the duties with circumspection and not allow themselves to be used by selfish individuals. He also tasked them to broaden their scope and learn to be abreast with the current trend of the profession. Mr. Woyongo in his reaction to some of the concerns raised by the media, pledged to provide the media with means of transport to facilitate their movement. The Regional GJA Chairman Eric Amo thanked the Deputy Information minister for the visit and called on the ministry to help create equal opportunity for media practitioners in the country. He also charged the ministry to help advance the cause of the media at all levels.
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