Brochure gaffe: Boamah owes us explanation – Yankah

Dismissing the acting director of the Information Services Department (ISD), Francis Kwarteng Arthur, over the brochure gaffe is not enough, communications expert and founder of the African University College of Communications Kojo Yankah has said.

Mr Arthur, who took responsibility and apologised for the error-ridden brochures printed for Ghana’s 59th independence anniversary celebrations was fired from his post by government on Thursday March 10.

But in an exclusive interview with Class News on the same day, Mr Yankah said Communications Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah must take government communications with citizens more seriously and should also bear part of the blame for the gaffe .

He wondered why Mr Arthur would see the mistakes in the brochure and still pass them on without the necessary corrections.

“He is a poor soul, I don’t sympathise with him for owning up and saying that he saw the mistakes, overlooked them, and passed them on,” stated Mr Yankah.

“Why did he see the mistakes and overlook them and pass the material? Whoever was also receiving at the Flagstaff House to print, why didn’t he oversee the material?”

Mr Yankah said there appeared to be a conflict over who was responsible for government communication in the country.

“First of all, it wasn’t the duty of anybody at the Flagstaff House to ask for the material, unless to ensure that the protocols were right. Apart from that there is nothing else. And the Minister of Communications should have also seen the final detail and, so, I think he should also bear part of the responsibility.

“It is not enough to sacrifice somebody, who as I read, saw the mistakes and somebody was rushing him to bring the material, so he also overlooked. And I do not forgive him for that, it’s not an excuse, so he passed on the material to somebody. … Who is that somebody at the Flagstaff House?” he asked.

In his view, whoever was responsible for printing the brochures at the Flagstaff House should answer why he wanted the material, why he did not also go through and “he should also bear the brunt, he should also bear part of the responsibility”.

Mr Yankah also insisted the minister should explain why the power [of printing the brochures] has been moved from the ISD to the presidency. “So, the minister owes the nation a clarification,” he added.

Meanwhile some workers of the ISD have welcomed the dismissal of their Acting Director.