Use communication to drive economic growth – Lebanese Ambassador urges

Mr Maher Kheir, the Lebanese Ambassador to Ghana, has emphasised the need to use communication as an effective tool to drive national socio-economic development.He said effective communication was critical for navigating the complexities of global diplomacy and marketing various industries for strategic and strong international partnerships.Mr Kheir was speaking at the launch of the Association of Professional Development Communicators-Ghana (APDC-Ghana) in Accra.It was on the theme: 'Advancing Sustainable and Resilient Development through Strategic and Innovation Communication.'He said communicators were pillars of a growing society because they built bridges between people and cultures, disseminated information and provided solutions to global challenges.He said professional communication was a combination of science and art requiring a specific skill set; hence it was not just about putting who could speak good English at the helm of state public relations.The Lebanese Ambassador said both the public and private sectors must begin to view professional communication as the pivot to building and sustaining a strong brand even before products and services came into play.'Communication is a scientific, disciplined process. A strong brand is the communication strategy and not the product and, therefore, there can never be good governance without effective communication skills,' Mr Kheir added.Mrs Ruth Abanga, the President of the association said building the capacity of communicators was crucial for the development of the nation.'We need to equip our communicators with the skills and tools necessary to critical messages about health, education and sustainable practices to enable them to engage the public and provide positive change,' she added.Mr Emanuel Adjafor Abugri, the Acting Media Liaison and Communications Officer at APDC-Ghana, said the Association aimed to enhance development communication through various forms and strategies.It also aims to foster collaborations, advocate developmen t and promote behaviour change through diverse yet effective techniques.Mr Abugri mentioned some of the Association's key objectives as researching and promoting best practices in communication for development, building the capacity of communicators and advocating for the marginalised voices.Source: Ghana News Agency