Some Public Relations offices in Upper West Region lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks.

This according to checks are because some leaders of these offices are afraid of accountability and wouldn’t want Media houses stepping in and out of such institutions for data or records.

These are some Institutions with public Relations Offices that we hardly hear of:

1. Ghana Education Service
   We hardly hear from Public Relations officers of Ghana Education Service in Upper West Region, the Regional Public Relations Officer, Mr. Justin Kpan hasn’t released significant Records of Performance of schools in a long period, currently there is not accessible pool of Educational Data available for stakeholders online including Number of Deprived schools, number of Schools under trees, pass rate of Schools of all Districts for Stakeholders to intervene. Secondly, resources haven’t been allocated for these officers to meet the media Quarterly in order to have public discuss for support to come to the service. Public Relations officers in Upper West hardly visit the Media and their works aren’t known by Many.
2. Local Government Service
   The local Government Service is one area that needs to engage the media regularly, some districts including Nandom, Nadowli-Kaleo and Wa have put in significant efforts with social media presence to inform people of the works however little is heard from other Districts, Municipalities.
3. Lands Commission : The lands Commission hardly published statistics of their works including areas that have been leased, have litigation issues or charges for public to be informed and take decisions, the last time upper West Media Team tried reaching them via their online phone numbers, about 5 of their Numbers were either switched of or could not be reached.
4. GNFS: The Service unlike police service isn’t giving citizens enough information through it’s public Relations Offices. Currently, the Media in the Region have no data on number of fire outbreaks Across all Districts etc. it took Upper West Media Team to discover in 2024 that a fire service truck broke down in Funsi for over 5 Years.
5. National Road Safety Commission
   The Road safety Commission is another office that should be proactive with education and campaign in the Region, Some citizens have inquired to know how they could even get educational content from the commission online to help themselves.

However, there are other Public Relations offices that are very proactive in the Upper West Region

1. Ghana Police Service
   The Police Service in Upper West Region has been proactive and gives quick updates surrounding their works, this have brought significant progress to their works building the confidence of citizens.
2. Ghana Health Service. The Ghana Health Service is proactive with health promotion and public relations, the Upper West Regional Hospital has an active Facebook page, same as Lambussie District health directorate.
   The also update the public on health related initiatives they are taking.
3. NCCE: The NCCE is active on the ground going from school to school and to communities to communicate, however they need to embrace technology with films and drama to get more audience and to educate more people at a go, the manual approach isn’t solving much of the problem. They should write to stakeholders including the media to solicit for airspace.
4. Ghana Prisons Service: Headed By ASP Kpirikoh as Head of Public Relations, the Ghana Prisons serve has been proactive on several platforms including GBC Radio Upper West. The Advocate has gotten the service several donations including an increase in feeding grants to Ghc5.

Source: Upper West Media App