Accra, Oct. 8, GNA - Mr Kabral Blay Amihere, Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), on Friday applauded the achievements of the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) in remaining a self-censored body aimed at maintaining professional excellence.

He said the comportment exhibited by its membership over the years had earned it a high reputation among various circles of the Ghanaian populace, as well as by the NMC, which had watched with admiration its various activities to enhance the capacities of various partners to ensure effective PR.

Mr Amihere was speaking when he chaired the Institute=E2=80=99s 18th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Accra, under the theme; =E2=80=9CManaging Ghana=E2=80=99s Reputation in an Emerging Oil and Gas Industry.=E2=80=9D

He called on other professional bodies, especially those of the media and communication industry, to emulate the IPR and strive to attain the highest level of professionalism and excellence in their various fields of operation to help enhance the image of the country. Mr Amihere said Ghana needed to build a reputation based on the rule of law, that which had respect for the rights of people and that which ensured sovereignty of the state.

He said: E2=80=9CThis can only be possible with the support and cooperation of such professional bodies.=E2=80=9D Mr Amihere also asked IPR to help educate and encourage especially the business community to utilize the specialized skills of public relations professionals in their marketing strategies and in branding their companies, goods and services to ensure high returns. Mr John Tia Akologu, Minister of Information, said as PR representatives, the responsibility to present, promote and manage the image and reputation of the country with dignity, decorum and discernment had become even more challenging in recent times as the country looked forward to begin drilling oil. He stated that it was no exaggeration that Ghana had become the focus of the world and, therefore, had been given an opportunity to prove her leadership role in Africa and also to disprove many of the most unflattering descriptions and prejudices about the Blackman and his capacity to manage resources and lead nations to prosperity. The Minister said already the reality of Ghana becoming an oil producer had discernibly affected the country=E2=80=99s geo-political significance as an investment destination and as a E2=80=9Cpower broker=E2=80=9D in Africa.

He said while the nation=E2=80=99s attraction as an investment destination would invariably grow, the ability to harness the opportunities arising from the oil and gas wealth would depend greatly on the readiness to construct and manage a national reputation which was consistent with the aspirations of the people. Mr Akologu said in the era of globalization, capital, skills and innovation travelled in the direction of countries with good reputation. The IPR should, therefore, partner with other bodies in building the nations reputation.

He said Ghana must embrace the oil and gas as another opportunity to set a higher standard for the country. The Minister pledged the Ministry of Information=E2=80=99s commitment to the IPR=E2=80=99s effort to partner with sister institutions such as Brand Ghana to prosecute an agenda which would strengthen the nation=E2=80=99s image and create a robust and enviable reputation for the country.

Ms Vicky Wireko-Andoh, President of the IPR, condemned situations where people were made to feel that they were under compulsion to give answers to various questions of national interests on radio, television as well as press interviews. She noted that most of these people ended up embarrassing themselves and misinforming the public as their answers often reflected the fact that they had very little knowledge about the issue in question. Ms Wireko-Andoh said the beauty about the current electronic age was that people could always revert to the media in the shortest possible time if they had to take their time to get briefed on an issue before making any public comment. She said this could spare the PR outfit the embarrassment of having to often step in to make amends to save the nation=E2=80=99s reputation.