Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has completed a tour of the coastal regions which included the Western, Central, Volta and Eastern regions as part of government’s efforts in taking inputs from relevant stakeholders amid ongoing discussions to restructure the country’s media landscape.
The minister, interacting with journalists, said the government remained committed towards creating a conducive environment for the practice of their profession.
The tour is a continuation of similar exercises by the ministry to the regions in the northern part of the country in May.
He said government was concluding the formation of the executive arm of government to get governance running at the local level.
“You will notice that we are coming to end of the construction of the executive arm of government with the appointment of MMDCEs so that full work commences, particularly at the local levels. The primary focus is to get the economy back on track post-Covid so that we bring more developments and jobs and concentrate on improving the quality of life of Ghanaians,” he said.
The minister charged the media to help government create awareness on security challenges currently facing the sub-region by highlighting some of the issues to the public.
He also updated journalists on work done so far on the two media support programmes – Coordinated Mechanisms for the Safety of Journalists and Media Capacity Enhancement Programmes.
The minister and his delegation toured some agencies under his ministry, specifically GBC and ISD installations, as part of the ministry’s reorganisation drive.
In Ho, the minister urged media houses and journalists to take advantage of support programmes aimed at building their capacity.
He said the National Media Commission, which is the implementing body tasked by cabinet, will soon embark on regional sensitisation engagements on the programmes with stakeholders.
The two programmes, Media Capacity Enhancement Programme and the Coordinated Mechanism for the Safety of Journalists, are aimed at creating a conducive and safe environment for media practitioners and enhance their capacity to effectively play their role.
The delegation also held meetings with traditional rulers, including the Omanhene of the Ogua Traditional Council Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II in Cape Coast and the Paramount Chief of Essikado, in the Western Region, Nana Kobina Nketsia V.
Both traditional leaders lauded the minister for his dedication and remarkable performance as the spokesperson of government operations, and encouraged other young appointees to emulate him.
The delegation includes directors of the ministry and government spokespersons.