topGhana needs a coordinated and strategic national communication approach that prioritises public understanding of government policies, builds institutional trust and promotes the country’s development agenda, the Public Relations (PR) Practitioner of the year, Sandra Amarquaye, has said.
She explained that communication must move beyond reactive messaging and publicity to a deliberate tool for explaining national priorities, addressing citizens’ concerns and demonstrating the impact of decisions on their lives.
“When people get to understand these decisions, it makes it easier; it builds trust for governments as well,” Ms Amarquaye said.
She made the remarks in an interview with the Daily Graphic following her recognition as the 2025 PR Professional Practitioner of the Year at the Institute of Public Relations (IPR), Ghana’s awards.
Ms Amarquaye, who is the Corporate Communications Manager of Karpowership Ghana Company Limited (KGCL), described the recognition as humbling and fulfilling, saying it reflected years of hard work, and that it had raised the standard she expected of herself.
She said the award was also an encouragement to young practitioners, particularly women, that they could attain similar professional heights.
Policy-oriented communication
Ms Amarquaye said one of the fundamental challenges with government communication was the tendency to focus more on defining political positions than helping citizens understand policies and their practical implications.
Government communications, she stressed, should not be treated simply as a PR exercise but as a means of bringing strong public understanding to gov't policies, earning the buy-in and support of the people and carrying them along the development journey and agenda of the government
She said communicators must adopt audience-centred approaches that enabled people to understand how government policies affected their households, businesses, communities and future.
Ms Amarquaye called for stronger coordination among public institutions, proactive communication and regular assessment of the impact of communication in identifying gaps to improve public engagement.
Credibility, ethics
On institutional credibility, she said communication alone could not create public confidence or permanently compensate for poor performance, the lack of accountability and broken promises.
Ms Amarquaye explained that while communication could help institutions to clarify decisions, explain responsibilities and demonstrate progress, lasting public trust depended on transparency, accountability and consistent performance.
She, therefore, urged communications professionals to distinguish between reputation management and reputation building, stressing that organisations must first understand and address legitimate stakeholder concerns rather than resorting to publicity campaigns to improve public perception.
On professional ethics, Ms Amarquaye said public relations practitioners must not knowingly publish false information, manipulate facts or create misleading impressions to protect the image of their organisations.
“The truth is the truth.
It will definitely come out. And your organisation's reputation will be worst off if people get to know the truth from other credible sources, outside the organisation,” she said.
National unity
Ms Amarquaye also enumerated the responsibility of communicators in protecting national cohesion, warning that misinformation, inflammatory political rhetoric and ethnic stereotyping could undermine public confidence and create tensions.
She urged government communicators to provide verified information, respond promptly to false claims and avoid language that unnecessarily deepened political and social divisions.
Ms Amarquaye further called for a more deliberate effort by the media and communications professionals to project the country’s strengths, including its democratic experience, human capital and cultural heritage.
She said telling the Ghanaian story more effectively would help to promote the country’s image and contribute to national development.
PR profession
Ms Amarquaye welcomed moves to introduce legislation to sanitise and streamline the public relations profession, saying practitioners should meet prescribed professional standards.
She said the proposed law would require entrants, including those from journalism and other fields, to undertake relevant courses and examinations before qualifying to practise.
“PR is a strategic role.
We play a strategic role in organisation.
We serve as advisors to the organisation as well.
You are managing a whole company's image and you need someone who is competent and who is professional enough to do such a delicate job,” she added.
Touching on the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI), she said the technology had improved the efficiency of communications professionals by supporting data analysis, audience understanding, content development and the monitoring of emerging issues.
She, however, cautioned that AI could also be used to generate convincing false information and manipulate images and audio, adding that it should support rather than replace professional judgement.
