Minister of Information unhappy about the state of ISD
Story by: Jasmine Arku
The Minister of Information, Mr John Akologo Tia has disclosed that the Ministry of Finance had been mandated to prioritise the budget allocations of under resourced areas of the Ministry of Information.
He said he was disappointed at the state of nature of the Cinema Section and the National Audio-visual Centre of the Information Services Department (ISD) which made up part of his ministry.
He said he was disappointed because the two departments of the ISD which were huge potentials for revenue generation in the country had been neglected, adding that the Ministry served as the image of the government thus if it could not maintain its self, it could not carry out its mission of communicating government development policies and programmes to the people. .
The Minister disclosed this when he made a familiarisation tour to the two departments of the ministry to acquaint himself with the activities of both departments.
The Technical Officer at the Audio-visual Centre, Mr Paul Quarcoo, said, the centre used to be a place where government works were projected through photo exhibitions. However, due to the lack of modern digital machines, it had made it difficult for the department to produce banners, bill boards and other visuals to showcase government works.
According to Mr Quarcoo, the department was losing revenue due to low patronage which was caused by the use of outmoded machines.
He added that, the department had now resulted in seeking the services of private organisations to print out banners and billboards on behalf of the ministry and the government.
Mr Quarcoo also disclosed that in 1996, the then government commercialised the fallow buildings of the department under no proper tenancy agreement and therefore called on the government to review the terms of agreement or possibly cancel such agreements.
In his response, Mr Tia said he would review the tenancy agreement and ensure that if the agreement would be continued, it would be done for value for money and not to meet the selfish ambition of particular individuals.
The Regional Information Officer of the Information Services Department, Mrs Josephine Kabou also made it known to the Minister that the only room available for workshops, training sections and seminars had been stocked with books and journals of the Ghana at 50 celebrations.
It was revealed that, the guest house of the Information Services Department which was began in 2006 and had neared completion had been abandoned. Also, the transit quarters for workers living outside of Accra was still under construction but had been brought to a halt due to lack of funds.
The Assistant Director of Information in charge of the Cinema Section, Mr Ambrose Amamoo, disclosed that as at the end of November this year, the department had generated an amount of GH¢4000 as revenue.
He added that, the theatre of the Cinema section, where movies were censored, was still in use. However, the projector was no longer in use because the compact disk (CD) had come to take the place of cassettes and tapes making it necessary for them to resort to the use of a television and a CD player during censorship.
In his response, Mr Tia said he would ensure the review of the cinematography act of 1962 in order to met out the appropriate sanctions and punishment for individual who acted contrary to the law.
He however commended the staff for keeping the departments alive although they were working under trying conditions and advised the media to address issues of importance of institutions and not attack personalities.
The Minister of Information, Mr John Akologo Tia has disclosed that the Ministry of Finance had been mandated to prioritise the budget allocations of under resourced areas of the Ministry of Information.
He said he was disappointed at the state of nature of the Cinema Section and the National Audio-visual Centre of the Information Services Department (ISD) which made up part of his ministry.
He said he was disappointed because the two departments of the ISD which were huge potentials for revenue generation in the country had been neglected, adding that the Ministry served as the image of the government thus if it could not maintain its self, it could not carry out its mission of communicating government development policies and programmes to the people. .
The Minister disclosed this when he made a familiarisation tour to the two departments of the ministry to acquaint himself with the activities of both departments.
The Technical Officer at the Audio-visual Centre, Mr Paul Quarcoo, said, the centre used to be a place where government works were projected through photo exhibitions. However, due to the lack of modern digital machines, it had made it difficult for the department to produce banners, bill boards and other visuals to showcase government works.
According to Mr Quarcoo, the department was losing revenue due to low patronage which was caused by the use of outmoded machines.
He added that, the department had now resulted in seeking the services of private organisations to print out banners and billboards on behalf of the ministry and the government.
Mr Quarcoo also disclosed that in 1996, the then government commercialised the fallow buildings of the department under no proper tenancy agreement and therefore called on the government to review the terms of agreement or possibly cancel such agreements.
In his response, Mr Tia said he would review the tenancy agreement and ensure that if the agreement would be continued, it would be done for value for money and not to meet the selfish ambition of particular individuals.
The Regional Information Officer of the Information Services Department, Mrs Josephine Kabou also made it known to the Minister that the only room available for workshops, training sections and seminars had been stocked with books and journals of the Ghana at 50 celebrations.
It was revealed that, the guest house of the Information Services Department which was began in 2006 and had neared completion had been abandoned. Also, the transit quarters for workers living outside of Accra was still under construction but had been brought to a halt due to lack of funds.
The Assistant Director of Information in charge of the Cinema Section, Mr Ambrose Amamoo, disclosed that as at the end of November this year, the department had generated an amount of GH¢4000 as revenue.
He added that, the theatre of the Cinema section, where movies were censored, was still in use. However, the projector was no longer in use because the compact disk (CD) had come to take the place of cassettes and tapes making it necessary for them to resort to the use of a television and a CD player during censorship.
In his response, Mr Tia said he would ensure the review of the cinematography act of 1962 in order to met out the appropriate sanctions and punishment for individual who acted contrary to the law.
He however commended the staff for keeping the departments alive although they were working under trying conditions and advised the media to address issues of importance of institutions and not attack personalities.
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