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Government has a duty to inform its citizens: Siliya

3 Dec, 2020
The ministry has also formulated a communication strategy that clearly spells out how various arms of Government are to communicate among them, are Public Relations operatives and other communicators in various Government institutions Zambia's chief government spokesperson says.

Chief government spokesperson Dora Siliya says the government has a duty to constantly inform the people how it is using that mandate to improve their welfare.

Speaking during the launch of the government communication policy, Siliya says government developed the communication policy on the premise of its commitment to democratic governance that places a high premium on proactive, coordinated and consistent dissemination of information to the public.

“The government Communication Policy is anchored on the following principles namely; the right to information, transparency, accountability, integrity and inclusivity”, she says.

The Minister says among other things, the policy provides a framework for access to information legislation and defines the roles of different participants in government-related communication to ensure effective and coherent communication.

She adds that to actualize the policy, the ministry has also formulated a communication strategy that clearly spells out how various arms of Government are to communicate among them, are Public Relations operatives and other
communicators in various Government institutions.

The Government communication policy is among the various pieces of legislation that were approved by Cabinet at its 17th meeting in July 2020.

 

About MISA

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) was founded in 1992. Its work focuses on promoting, and advocating for, the unhindered enjoyment of freedom of expression, access to information and a free, independent, diverse and pluralistic media.

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