A five (5) day  capacity training programme  for about sixty  Government Public Relations Officers (PRO’s) in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) took place at Coconut Grove Hotel  in the Central Region from Monday, 13th to Saturday, 18th May 2024.  

The training which was  under the theme “Combating Information Disorders: The Role of Government PRO’s” was a  collaboration between the Ministry of Information  (MOI), the Information Services Department (ISD) and Nu Image aimed to equip PRO’s to  acquire  knowledge and skills set in order to be able to detect and curb misinformation in Ghana. 

The workshop also sought to enhance Government PRO’s with   knowledge in CHATGPT and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to curb information disorders in the media landscape especially the digital media.  

The Central Regional Minister, Hon. Justina Marigold in a speech read on her behalf by the Planning Director at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), Mr. Timothy Oman, she  noted that PRO’s  are the anchors of the MDA’s mandated to protect the image of their  various organisation.  

The Central Regional Minister disclosed that information disorders have become a global challenges in communication due to the rise of social media. She added that the training has come at the opportune time when the region is preparing for the upcoming elections since people will engage in information disorders to change the narratives which will undermine public trust. 

On her part, the Ag. Director of Information Services Department, Dr. Nafisa Winnifred Mahama stated that the workshop has become necessary for public relations practitioners to be exposed to modern trends of public relations such as Artificial Intelligence among others.  

She noted that the training of Government Public Relations officers on information disorders is essential in today’s information landscape to ensure organisations manage and mitigate the risks associated with false or misleading information. 

Madam Ethel Cudjoe Amissah, Head of the Public Relations Coordination Division (PRCD) delivered the purpose for the occasion on the negative impact of misinformation, disinformation and malformation in our society. She explained that the knowledge shared by industry experts will help combat information disorders by leveraging on artificial intelligence by public relations officers.