Information, Communication and Technology Minister, Dr Peya Mushelenga, has urged government communication officers to strive to make government communication channels more accessible to all, regardless of their location or socio-economic status.

According to Mushelenga, the success of government’s communication can only be judged to the extent that citizens notice and understand such information.

The minister was speaking at the opening session of the five-day progress review workshop for Government Communication Officers on implementing the Government Communication Strategy (GCS) with all OMAs, Regional Councils and Local Authorities in Swakopmund on Monday.

“The benefits of government communication can have several dimensions, which include information, empowerment, education, development, discussion and decisions, hence government institutions should provide citizens with information to enhance their perceptions, evaluations and choices to improve the quality of citizen decision-making,” he noted.

He added that effective communication is at the heart of a functioning democracy and is the key medium through which government officials can engage the public, educate and inform them about government policies and programmes and obtain their feedback and suggestions on how best they expect their Government to serve them in all areas.

“We must take the time to reflect on the progress we have made since our meeting last quarter and map out the way forward in line with our Government Communication Strategy. Our citizens have a right to know what is happening in their government. It is our responsibility to provide them with accurate information promptly and transparently,” Shifeta said.

The purpose of the five-day engagement is to ensure that Government Communication Officers stay up-to-date with the Government’s Communication Strategy Implementation Plan to provide access to information to the citizenry.

The meeting is also aimed at taking stock of expectations and what should be done so government communication officers do not lose sight of what is expected from them.

According to the minister, this mandate becomes increasingly critical now that the Access to Information Act 8 of 2022 is about to be implemented, with the soon-to-be-established Office of the Information Commissioner.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency