Feed Ghanaians with accurate, substantive information – Minister
Accra, Feb. 27, GNA – Mrs Sabah Zita Okaikoi, Minister of Information,
on Friday urged media organizations under the Ministry to feed Ghanaians
with accurate, relevant and substantive information and knowledge.
She pointed out that the Ministry of Information had been the prime
conduit of information and knowledge between the people of Ghana,
government and the outside world.
She therefore urged Ghanaians to contribute ideas, initiatives and innovations
to Ghana’s development process through the Ministry of Information and its
agencies.
Mrs Okaikoi said this at a meeting organized by the Ministry to formally and
officially introduce her to heads of agencies under the Ministry.
“We need to use tried and tested methods as well as new, more rapid methods of
exchanging knowledge and information with our people.”
She therefore promised to equip agencies within the Ministry and improve their
efficiency and effectiveness in the interest of national development.
Some of the agencies at the meeting were the Ghana News Agency, Ghana
Broadcasting Corporation, Information Services Department, National Film and
Television Institute (NAFTI) and Ghana Publishing Company.
Mrs. Okaikoi said the Ministry would support and encourage regular professional
training for staff of the Ministry and all its agencies, especially in this era
of information and communications technology, to increase professionalism and
discipline.
“We are determined to make this Ministry and its agencies even more productive
and relevant to the development needs of Ghana,” she said.
Other plans by the Mills-led administration, she said, were to harness local
languages, traditional cultures and customs into the dynamic engine of modern
technology information practices.
Mrs. Okaikoi pledged her commitment to make the Ministry the best it can,
acknowledging that, nothing could be achieved without the support of the media.
Nana Appau Duah, General Manager of the Ghana News Agency, briefing the Minister
about the Agency’s operations, said it was the most credible source of news in
Ghana and abroad. However it had serious financial constraints.
“We are not able to pay our reporters’ transport fares, stringers’ fees; pay
bills and other things needed to run the agency,” he said.
He stressed that the government subvention received by the agency was only
enough to pay staff salaries because the amount left after paying salaries is
paltry.
Nana Appau Duah requested that part of the internally generated funds be
retained by the agency to be used to pay bills and other allowances.
“The agency has a lot of ideas but we are not able to implement them due
to lack of finances,” he said.
Mr. William Ampem-Darko, Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation,
said his organization was not properly structured and emphasized the need to
train and re-tool staff since most of their equipment was digital and most of
the staff was used to the analogue system.
“Those who are not trainable should be sent-off in a humane way,” he said, and
expressed the hope that, this year GBC would be able to bring a variety and
exciting programmes to their viewers.
Mr James Amuah, Director of the Information Services Department, said his outfit
was responsible for explaining government policies and programmes to people at
the grass-root level and called for more support in terms of their mobile
information vans to enable them to work more efficiently.
Mr S.A. Kwatiah, Head of Ghana Publishing Company, said his organization was
working below capacity because they did not have enough contracts as well
as working capital.
Mr Nanfor-Olaga, head of NAFTI, said the Institute needed new studios and
digital equipment since they still trained their students with analogue tools
even though everything was now digital.
GNA
