Mr Dawarnoba Baeka, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), has called communication and public relations departments to find effective ways of informing the citizens about trade and industrial developments.
He said it is only when the people are well informed about what is happening at the trade and industrial sector that, the people could join the process and contribute their quota.
Mr Baeka was speaking at the opening of a two- day workshop for Public Relation Executives and Chief Executive Officers of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and related agencies at Koforidua.
He said any comment by the public that the economy of the country is not doing well is an indication that the Ministry and its agencies have failed to effectively communicate to the people what is happening in the economy.
Mr Baeka cited the instance of a farmer who produces tomatoes at his backyard and cans them (which could last for two years) and explained that, if such activity is well communicated to the people, tomato farmers who could not sell their produce would adopt that simple technology and there would not be tomato farmers threatening to commit suicide because they could not market their tomatoes.
He called on the participants to reactivate the platform created for them to share ideas and experiences.
Earlier in a welcoming address, Nana Akrasi Sarpong, the Acting Director of Communication and Public Affairs at the Ministry of Trade and Industry explained that the aim for the workshop was to create a common platform for communication and public affairs agencies under MOTI to help integrate the communication strategies of MOTI.
He said MOTI is responsible for the industrial and economic development of the country and over the years, it had come out with policies to promote investment, create jobs and improve the living standard of the people yet the people are always complaining.
He said the complains of the people are indications of the failure of the Ministry to effectively communicate it’s programmes and activities to the people.
Nana Akrasi Sarpong said the challenges facing the Ministry does not mean it is coming out with bad policies but it simply indicates that in the process of policy formulation, the beneficiaries have been left out and therefore called for a change in the ways of engagement of stakeholders in policy formulation process of the Ministry.
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