This according to the government to ensure responsive governance and promote citizen participation in the development dialogue.
This was contained in the Ministry of Information’s budget estimates report for 2019 financial year presented to Parliament for approval.
Explaining the ministry’s policies and programs to the House, the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said “the ministry has plans to organize four National Policy Summits on a wide range of subjects, and the objective is to create an avenue for the industry players and implementers of public policy to collaborate and work together towards the achievement of government’s transformation agenda.”
Through these engagements, he said, heads of ministries, departments and agencies, and state-owned enterprises account for their work and receive feedbacks.
“To ensure responsive governance and promote citizen participation in the development dialogue, the ministry in 2019 will hold sixty (60) town hall meetings across the country, and this will create a platform for the appointees, such as DCEs and MMCEs to explain programs and activities to citizens and also enable them to express their concerns for appropriate action”, he noted.
He also added that the ministry intends to organize 144 press briefings to deepen transparency and public accountability.
On the government’s flagship programs, the Minister said the government will apply the tool of development communication to explain in order to court wide public commitment for the smooth implementation of the key policies in 2019.
*** Floor of Parliament
The Ministry’s budget allocation for 2019 is slightly increased by 9.85% as compared to 2018 budget allocation, from GHc107,346,067.00 to GHc117,914,330.00 in 2019, but allocation for Compensation is reduced from 70.73% to 63.82%, and the percentage allocation for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure has gone up from 25.29% to 30.40% and 3.99 to 5.78% respectively.
Out of this budgetary allocation, the report indicates that an amount of GHc6.662, 831.77 has been allocated to Ghana News Agency (GNA), GHc75,644,139.97 to Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and GHc25,520,590.97 to Information Service Department(ISD) for their programs and activities for the 2019 financial year.
“Notwithstanding the slight increase, the paltry amount made available for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure may pose a challenge to the ministry in achieving its objectives,” the report said.
The role of the Ministry of Information plays in the collection, processing and dissemination of information on government programs and policies is fundamental to the governance process and the development of the nation. Indeed, no society today can progress without the dissemination of timely and reliable information for decision making by both government and the citizens. It is therefore imperative that the Ministry is provided the needed resources to enable it play its role effectively and efficiently.
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By: Sammy Agyei/frontpageghana.com/Ghana
