AKUAPEM SOUTH INFORMATION CENTRE OPERATORS SENSITISED ON RESPONSIBLE INFORMATION DISSEMINATION

The Akuapem South Municipal Assembly, through the Information Services Department, has sensitised Information Centre Operators within the Municipality on the importance of responsible and credible information dissemination. The programme, held on Wednesday, 22nd July 2026, brought together the Municipal Coordinating Director, Municipal Information Officer, Director of Cooperatives, Municipal Budget Analyst and Information Centre Operators from various communities. In his opening remarks, the Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr. Emmanuel Appiah Kubi, acknowledged the important role of Information Centre Operators as key community communicators and urged them to ensure that information shared with the public was accurate, truthful and sourced from credible channels.

The Municipal Information Officer, Ms. Harriet Darkoa Ateko, educated participants on the dangers associated with misinformation and the dissemination of unverified information. She noted that false information could create fear, confusion, panic and conflict within communities, thereby undermining social cohesion and development efforts. The Right to Information (RTI) Officer, Ms. Victoria Nyarkoa, further urged the operators to verify information before disseminating it, particularly information relating to government policies, programmes and public safety. She emphasised that Information Officers play a critical role in bridging the communication gap between public institutions and citizens by facilitating access to accurate official information and supporting informed community participation in governance and development.

The sensitisation also focused on the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), which provides citizens with the legal right to access information held by public institutions, subject to exemptions provided by law. Ms. Nyarkoa explained the procedures for making RTI requests and encouraged the Information Centre Operators to educate community members on their right to seek official information from public institutions. She also drew attention to the availability of the RTI Office at the Municipal Assembly to assist persons seeking information. Participants engaged in an interactive session and sought clarification on the procedures for accessing information, exempt information and appropriate methods of verifying information before communicating it to the public.

The programme ended with a renewed commitment by the Akuapem South Municipal Assembly and Information Centre Operators to strengthen collaboration in promoting access to credible public information, transparency and accountability. The engagement underscored the important contribution of Information Officers and community information channels to effective public communication and community development, particularly by enabling citizens to obtain reliable information needed to participate meaningfully in local development initiatives. The Assembly reaffirmed its commitment to continuous public education on the Right to Information Act and collaboration with community stakeholders to promote responsible information dissemination, informed citizen participation and good governance within the Municipality.