Some of the vans. INSET: Fatimatu Abubakar
Former Minister for Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, has explained that the 40 ultra-modern information vans being distributed currently across the country were imported by the Akufo-Addo government.
She expressed surprise that there is no mention about the origin of the vehicles which, according to her, arrived before the exit of the former administration.
Speaking to Movement Television Morning Show programme, she said that during her tenure as Deputy Information Minister working under Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the need to retool the Information Services Department (ISD) arose.
“It was noted that even though there are many radio stations across the country today, the need to have such vans spreading information was necessary. Most of these stations disseminate information in Akan and other local languages. Under the circumstances, there are unserved languages which must be taken care of. We therefore thought it wise to import state-of-the-art vehicles equipped with the necessary gadgets to fill in such gaps as they exist in the dissemination of information for the people.
“We went to China for specific vehicles which arrived close to our exit. We were unable to commission them given the circumstances at the time. We had to also quickly organise a colour change to suit the colours of the department. It would also be realised that at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, only National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the ISD were engaged in public information about the disease, the latter lacking in the appropriate gadgets to undertake the task,” she disclosed.
She expressed surprise that given the importance of the vans, the government has not given the distribution the level of publicity it has given other projects.
Many have explained that the commissioning is being done at the local levels because the credit belongs to the previous government.
Ms. Abubakar added that governance is based upon continuum and so there is nothing wrong with the current government launching a project which belongs to the previous government in terms of initiation.
Observers have described as laughable Ms. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, the Eastern Regional Minister’s expression of gratitude to President John Mahama for releasing the vans to the region without mentioning their originators.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri, while inaugurating the vans reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening public information delivery through strategic investments and institutional reforms.
The information vans are equipped with computers, public address systems, internet access, and giant video screens.
They can run on both the national grid and an inverter unit that charges and retains power whilst the vans are driving.
He avoided mentioning the origin of the vans when he noted that the initiative forms part of a broader national retooling agenda aimed at improving communication within the public sector.
“As part of this retooling process, the government has undertaken key structural reforms, including the resourcing of Information Services Department personnel following the restructuring of the ministries in the general public sector,” he said.
Similar inaugurations have taken place in other regions with no mention about the origin of the project.