By Egede Sylvester
In an effort to strengthen the flow of accurate and unbiased information between the government and the public, USAID Nigeria’s State Accountability, Transparency, and Effectiveness (State2State) Activity organized a two-day workshop in Ebonyi State.
The workshop focused on reviewing the progress of the state’s communication strategy, adopted in 2020, which aims to enhance government transparency and responsiveness to citizens’ needs.
Nneka Acholonu Egbuna, the State2State Communication Specialist, emphasized that the workshop allowed participants to evaluate their use of the communication strategy in supporting government accountability and effective governance.
She highlighted that the strategy was co-developed by the state government and stakeholders, aiming to bridge communication gaps between state ministries, departments, agencies, and citizens.
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Adding to the discussions, Mrs. Ejiro Okotie, the Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist with State2State, encouraged participants to incorporate inclusive language in their reports.
She urged Ebonyi’s Information and Public Relations Officers to avoid stereotypical and biased narratives, and instead promote empowering, positive portrayals of their subjects.
Mrs. Patience Nwobashi, Permanent Secretary of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Information and Orientation, commended State2State’s ongoing support. She acknowledged the impact of Nneka Egbuna’s guidance in transforming the quality of information officers’ reports and advised attendees to apply the insights gained to produce reports that uphold the state’s image.
Mr. Anya Nkama, the state’s Director of Information, noted that State2State’s involvement has been instrumental in developing key documents for reputation management and enhancing the role of information officers in government feedback mechanisms, which in turn have improved the government’s responsiveness to the public.
Workshop attendees, including Mr. Egede Sylvester, Public Relations Officer at the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, and Mr. Chukwudi Nweke, Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Grants and Donor Agencies, expressed gratitude to State2State.
They shared that the training sessions, which covered best practices for audience engagement on social media and reviewed results achieved since adopting the strategy, had strengthened their ability to perform their roles effectively and without bias.