Sunyani (B/A), July 1, GNA - Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister has commended the media for disseminating credible information that made the 2008 general election devoid of mayhem. He stressed that the elections were over and it was time for the media to partner with and provide information that would help the government to work to alleviate the plight of the people. Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo made the commendation when he paid familiarization visits to some Sunyani-based FM radio stations on Monday.

"We as a government owe the media a lot of gratitude", he said, adding the government was committed and prepared to ensure that the media obtained information on its developmental agenda. The Regional Minister implored proprietors of radio stations to organise regular capacity-building training programmes to update the knowledge of their staff, more especially the journalists on modern trends in the profession. Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo cautioned the media to cross check their facts and to be circumspect in their reportage in order not to create unnecessary tensions.

In answer to a question on how basic students in the region could be helped to improve their academic performance, Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo appealed to municipal and district assemblies to offer scholarships to brilliant students to augment the efforts of their parents. He noted that the region's performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination had not been encouraging for the past five years and appealed to parents to provide their children with the necessary learning materials to supplement the efforts of teachers. Mr. Nicholas Agyei Kyeremeh, Chief Executive Officer of Sky Broadcasting Limited expressed appreciation for the minister's visit to the station, which he said would collaborate with his administration in ensuring that credible information was disseminated. The other stations the regional minister visited were Dinpa FM, Ark FM and Radio BAR.