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THE Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has urged businesses to harness the power of public relations (PR) for the socio-economic development of the country.
He explained that public relations played an important role in building effective business relationships towards achieving business objectives, managing and disseminating information, maintaining corporate image and crisis prevention, among others.
“The transformative power of public relations cannot be downplayed. In areas where public relations practitioners have been well recognised and strategically positioned, especially in businesses and governance structures, their impact has been significant.”
Public relations practitioners can equally shape, discuss public opinion and create intentional, credible, positive communication and influence socio-economic development,” he said.
Mr Nkrumah gave the advice in a speech read on his behalf by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Information, Charlotte Morgan Asiedu, at a festival summit organised by the Global Media Alliance (GMA) to commemorate the 13th edition of World Public Relations Day in Accra.
Held on the theme: “Harness the Power of Public Relation”, it brought together PR professionals across industry to reflect on collective growth and chart a future course that is innovative, ethical and purpose-driven.
The minister commended PR practitioners for working tirelessly to strive for a more informed and inclusive world.
He further advised practitioners to remain steadfast in their commitment to ethics, responsibility and integrity as we harness the power of public relations.
“We must ensure that public relations never becomes a tool for manipulation or deception. Rather, he said, it should be a force that amplified authenticity, empowered the voiceless and upheld the values of honesty and transparency,” he added.
The Minister explained that the emergence of new media was a major challenge that contributed to the spread of mis/disinformation globally.
“While traditional media may be controlled, it is very difficult to do so with new media because of the facelessness. People are too quick to create and react to things in real time, giving practitioners little or no time to do crisis communication or management,” he said.
To address this, he said, the government through the Ministry of Information is facilitating the passage of a law to regulate content and general broadcasting.
“I am sure this law when passed will come in handy since broadcasting is one strategic media used by PR professionals to inform the public,” Mr Nkrumah added.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global Media Alliance, Ernest Boateng, said, the practice of PR was under siege from weakened global economic conditions, transformative technological change and increasing adoption of artificial intelligence and generative AI.
He said technology was transforming the way people interacted, as they increasingly leveraged social media platforms, artificial intelligence and other tools to amplify our messages, reach wider audiences and drive measurable impact.
Therefore, he urged practitioners to embrace innovation and adapt to the changing communication landscape which in the future may be shaped by and with technology.
For his part, the President, International Public Relations (IPR), Mawuko Afadzinu, encouraged PR practitioners to build trust, adding that “you cannot tap the power of PR without trust, without combining expertise to make credibility.”
World Public Relations Day, celebrated annually, recognises the pivotal role that Public Relations plays in shaping communication, fostering relationships and enhancing understanding between organisations and their target audiences.
