Institute of Public Relations, (IPR) Ghana President and CEO of Stratcomm Africa, Ms Esther A.N. Cobbah, on 29th July, 2024 led an IPR delegation to pay a courtesy call on the Board Chairman of the National Peace Council, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, as part of activities marking the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Institute. With “Public Relations for value creation” as its anniversary theme and a focus on ethical communication for peacebuilding in an election year, the visit was also to discuss how the Institute could support the work of the Council, particularly this year.
The IPR president briefed the Peace Council Chairman about the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Institute and the rationale behind the selected theme. She highlighted a number of activities planned for the celebration including an event involving Student Chapters of IPR which took place recently at UniMacIJ in Accra in which the students developed and pitched strategies for encouraging politicians and the general public to employ ethical communication in respect of discourse relating to party politics and national elections. She also shared the plans of the Institute to provide training for communicators of the two main political parties, NPP and NDC. This she said will be done in the Northern, Middle, and Southern belts of the country.
Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi lauded the IPR 50th anniversary theme as he acknowledged the challenges of the unfortunate situation with misinformation and disinformation in Ghana, particularly in relation to political activities and called for continuous support from IPR and other institutions to promote peace before, during and after the 2024 elections. He welcomed the interest expressed by IPR in the work of the Peace Council and indicated the willingness of the Council to collaborate with the Institute.
He was particularly delighted with the involvement of the IPR student chapters in the activities on ethical communication and expressed the hope that such activities would contribute to promoting peace in Ghana. Additionally, Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi accepted a proposal from the IPR president to include a representative of the Institute on the National Election Response platform to support the Council’s communication efforts. Rev Adu- Gyamfi said, “Highlighting the importance of ethical communication in respect of political activities is critical and I am sincerely delighted that the Institute of Public Relations, Ghana, has chosen to highlight this in its 50th anniversary celebration. We are happy to collaborate with the Institute”.
The visit by the IPR delegation to the Peace Council underscores the commitment of IPR, Ghana, to foster a culture of ethical and effective communication across all levels of Ghanaian society, especially during the upcoming elections.
Ms Cobbah says, “The value of communication is appreciated when it helps to meet societal needs. This year, as IPR celebrates our 50th anniversary, there is opportunity to contribute to the realisation of national peace and harmony as we go into national elections. Support to the work of the National Peace Council is a modest contribution from IPR and we are delighted to have been given audience by the Chair of the Council.”
