Gov't To Transform Ministry Of Information - Jake

As part of its development communication policy, the government is to transform the Ministry of Information into a more vibrant and efficient Ministry to meet current trends in the communication industry.

In this regard, government was sourcing funding from the World Bank and the HIPC Fund to refurbish and provide furniture for all District Information offices in the country. Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs announced this when he interacted with Regional and District Information Officers drawn from the Northern, Upper West and Upper East Regions in Tamale on Tuesday.

He said every District Information Office would have a Website and be linked to satellite to enable it to access information quickly. He announced that the Ministry had acquired four new cinema vans while all the old ones would be repaired, adding that the government was also exploring the possibility of acquiring motorcycles for some of the officers. The Minister said Information Officers would also undergo training to equip them with skills and knowledge to carry out their duties more professionally.

Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey said as part of the transformation exercise, workers of the Ministry would have to change their attitude to work by being innovative and using alternative means of mass communication to inform and educate the public instead of relying on the only equipment they currently had.

The Minister said communication had become the bedrock of development so information professionals needed to know how to communicate to the people to let them understand perfectly the message they were sending across. Government, he said, would continue to consult the people before implementing its programmes to help deepen the country's democracy.

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said the role of the media in helping to deepen the country's young democracy was, therefore, critical since the government and the governed would rely on the media for accurate information to make informed decisions.