14 Aug 2014

The government cannot ignore information sharing through social media.

The deputy permanent secretary for Botswana Government Communication and Information System (BGCIS) in the Office of the President, Dr Jeff Ramsay has remarked.Dr Ramsay, who was opening a two day national disaster preparedness media workshop on Tuesday, August 12, said there is evidence that more Batswana continue to use social media for information.

“Social media after broadcasting is the biggest in our country,” Dr Ramsay told the workshop attendees.

Further, he said government is able to reach about quarter of Batswana through social media adding that at least half of the country citizens are relying on social media for data.

Dr Ramsay however regretted that efforts to improve government communication through social media have been frustrating.

“Our Facebook account is very frustrating because we are not getting information from ministries despite that something is always going on within the government, “he added

Hence, he stressed the need for government ministries to improve information flow so as to tap into the advantages availed by the information communication technology networks.

He said government relies entirely on the input from ministries to publish itself information to the global community.Dr Ramsay said in most of the times, government appears not to be proactive on media management hence it often caught giving out rebuttals.

“To rebut is not the way of doing it, but most of the time we find ourselves doing it,” he said and added that being proactive is the best way to manage information

Further, he said government has in the past done well in taking advantage of new media such as SMS’s to warn residents about disaster management.

Further, Dr Ramsay implored public officers to manage their information accordingly, adding that failure to manage information could dent the image of the organisation.

He also said there is need for a more coherence and coordinated communication when in crisis or disasters.

For his part, the Director of the National Disaster Management Office, Mr Moagi Baleseng said the two day workshop organised by the national disaster management office was to equip journalists on the basics of disaster management.

Mr Baleseng added that the workshop was also aimed at reducing the vulnerability of media practitioners during national disasters.

He said the workshop will also enhance the quality of stories about national disasters, adding that during the previous events, there were some complaints that some of the facts in the media were incorrect. ENDS