Abdul–Hamid pledges to revive Ministry of Information
Mr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the Minister of Information, on Wednesday vowed to revamp the ministry which, he said, had remained dormant due to inadequate logistics.
He said the ministry was the foremost point of call in matters relating to information on all aspects of public affairs and, thus, its maintenance was critical to preserve the country’s history.
At a press conference in Accra, Mr Abdul-Hamid expressed regret about the failure of the past government to fully resource the Information Services Department (ISD) which is a subsidiary of the ministry so as to perform its role effectively.
Mr Abdul-Hamid said most of the facilities used at the ISD and the ministry were outdated, thereby, slowing down the operations of the offices, hence the need for a facelift.
“It was around 2004 and 2005 when Kwamina Bartels was the Information minister that we brought information vans for the ISD, since then all the vans have broken down,” he said, adding that the situation hampered the department’s ability to circulate information around the country.
This, he said, caused the denial of some villages and towns relevant information to help them make informed decisions.
“My main objective is to retool the ministry and its subsidiary departments so as to make it vibrant again for the execution of its mandate,” the Minister said.
Mr Abdul-Hamid said the Department of Photography was deprived and full of outdated manual photography records which he pledged to transfer onto digital platforms.
The move, he said, would facilitate proper records keeping and accessibility adding; “our plan immediately is to buy a digitisation equipment to digitise all those records to make them durable.”
Mr Abdul-Hamid said the Government, led by President Nana Akufo-Addo, had development at heart and for which reason it had separated the ministry from the Communication Ministry.
He dismissed concerns raised regarding the seemingly high numbers of ministers appointed by the President and said the decision was appropriate as the government sought to tackle all the challenges that militated against the progress of the country.
“Look at how this ministry and its departments have suffered neglect. If a minister is not appointed to take charge of affairs, it would soon die,” he said.
The Minister said more hands were needed to restructure the economy hence the President’s decision of appointing more ministers.
He gave the assurance that the move would not burden the public purse but rather contribute to efficiency and effectiveness in governance.
He urged Ghanaians to maintain their confidence in the Government as it would work for the holistic development of the country.
Source: GNA