Consultants Are Ignorant - MP

Mr. Joe Baidoo-Ansah, NPP-Effia Kwesimintim, on Wednesday said the consultants who worked on the Ghana News Agency (GNA) restructuring had "displayed a high level of ignorance" on the role of a wire service in the development process of a country like Ghana.

He said the consultants, Wayne Dunn and Associates, Universalia Management Group and Benda Consultancy who recommended that GNA be turned into a communication centre, among other things, "did a very bad job".

The Member was contributing to a debate for the approval of the budgetary estimates of the Ministry of Information and Presidential Affairs, which stood at 87.3 billion cedis.

Mr. Baidoo Ansah, speaking to newsmen after the debate questioned the criteria used by the National Institutional Renewal Programme (NIRP) to engage the consultants.

He said the GNA may have its own problems but the last advice it needed was the communication centre concept.

The member called for an increment in the low salaries paid to the GNA workers to motivate them.

Mr. Kofi Attor, NDC-Ho Central, said the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) and National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) should be helped to relocate or at least have modern buildings to house studios.

He said the relevant clauses in the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) should be amended to afford the two training institutions access to it.