Nii Lantey Vanderpuje challenges Journalists to shift attention from politics on airwaves to developmental issues

The Deputy Minister For Local Government and Rural Development, Nii Lantey Vanderpuje, has challenged Journalists to shift attention from the numerous politics on the airwaves and rather focus on the development oriented and critical issues that will pave way for accelerated development of the country. 

He observed that journalist dwelling much on the everyday politics at the expense of the development issues, draws back the developmental agenda of the country. 

The Minster threw the challenge at a capacity Building Workshop for members of the Network on Social Accountability on Mass Communication Skills in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

Radio Ghana’s Correspondent, Priscilla Asante
reports that the minster of Local Government and Rural Development and Finance and the local government services have been implementing the local government capacity support project since 2012, with funding from the World Bank. 

The overall goal of the project is to promote and strengthen fiscal decentralization as well as local government accountability mechanisms. 

This is to ensure that the metropolitan and municipal assemblies are held accountable by the citizens and National government. 

The project supports the strengthening of the local government system and fiscal policy reforms as well as building capacity to improve assemblies revenue and asset management. 

Mr. Vanderpuje, said since 2013, the project has support a number of MMAs to, actively engage citizens on Financial Management Issue of the Assembly through the social public Expenditure and Financial Accountability {SPEFA}, Town Hall Meetings and Media Network initiatives. 

He said communication is an important tool in accelerating the development of the nation.
 
The local Government Ministry, he said must involve the people in the communities in the implementation of projects in their jurisdiction. 

Mr. Vanderpuje tasked the Media to ensure that the leaders of the country are accountable to the people they serve. 

The Deputy Minister for Ashanti Region, Joseph Yamin said the  workshop forms part of the compact three projects which is aimed at improving efforts to empower the people to make them well informed on issues pertaining to them. 

The role of the media in this regard, he said, cannot be overemphasized. He said effective communication and media campaign is very vital since it is through those issues that are affecting the nation can be addressed. 

A Board Chairman of the Graphic Communication Group Limited, Dr Doris Yaa Dartey who took the journalist through “skills for media citizen engagement”,  indicated that as a journalist in developing countries, their role should not be engaging in polities but to passionately get citizens involved in the budgetary allocation of assemblies. 

She stressed the need for journalist to open themselves to learn new things and ask relevant question that will put leaders on their toes. 

There were presentations on “Budgeting, Participatory Media Campaign and the Media Network, the Role in Social Accountability”.


GBC