Set Standards in public relations to regulate members - Minister

Setting standards for public relations practice, should also ensure that members in the field are not unduly prevented from practicing, Mr. Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Minister of Information said on Wednesday.

"We want to regulate, we want to standardize, but the public relations industry is also an economic opportunity for many people, and so we should do this in a way that does not make it a disincentive for people to want to participate in this space."

Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah speaking at a stakeholders’ forum on the Draft Public Relations Bill said the Ministry of Information was in support of the bill, adding, "In principle, we are in agreement and we are happy as a Ministry to sponsor this legislation and get it through as quickly as possible."

Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah, however, noted that there was the need to ensure, that cabinet was convinced, that government should and would support the public policy proposals.

He said it was urgent that attention was paid to "some of the nuances of what we want to do".

Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah said what currently remained was to come up with a bill that was good enough to face as little obstruction as possible.

Madam Elaine Sam, President of the Institute of Public Relations, Ghana, said the extent of influence public relations practitioners wielded with regards to shaping opinions, made it necessary to ensure that practitioners were well equipped with the required skills.

The bill seeks to put up a framework, to regulate public relations practice, register members, license public relations firms and also accredit public relations educational programmes, in collaboration with the National Accreditation Board, or the new Tertiary Education Council.