Mahmud Kabore has picked nomination forms to contest the position of Ashanti Regional Communication Officer of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), with a stated commitment to strengthening the party’s communication structures and equipping communicators with timely and accurate information.
Kabore, who has described his political journey as one that began at the grassroots level, said his decision to contest the position was motivated by his experience working within the party’s communication structures at branch, constituency, regional and national levels.
Speaking to the Kumasi Mail after picking his nomination forms, Kabore recalled that his involvement with the NDC began at a young age when he served as acting branch secretary following the death of the substantive branch secretary at Asuboasu L/A Primary School in the Sekyere Afram Plains area.
“I have passed through the grassroots of the party to the constituency level and worked for the party as a regional and national communication member,” he said.
According to him, his experience working under various communication directors at different levels of the party has given him an understanding of the opportunities and challenges confronting political communication.
“The time has come for me to take full responsibility for the Party’s Ashanti Regional Communications Team and bring to bear the wealth of experience, knowledge and lessons I have gathered over the years, from the national front to the constituency level. Working with all stakeholders, we shall build on the solid foundation laid by the Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi-led administration at the national level and the Lawyer Abass Nurudeen-led administration in the Ashanti Region. Together, we shall unite our communicators, strengthen our structures, amplify the Party’s message and make the Ashanti Region a stronger communications force for victory in 2028 and beyond,” he said. ” he said.
Kabore said his intention was to build on existing structures and achievements rather than discard the work of previous communication teams.
“In Ashanti Region, I am coming to build upon what they have achieved for the party,” he said.
Focus on strategic communication
A major component of Kabore’s stated agenda is the development of a more coordinated communication strategy for the party in the region.
He said the regional communication structure should be able to communicate government policies, programmes and the NDC’s agenda in a manner that is clear, timely and understandable to the public.
He also identified the need to provide communicators with reliable information to enable them to respond effectively to public discussions and explain government policies.
Under his proposed approach, communicators would be expected to rely on verified information, understand the policies they discuss and communicate them in language that ordinary citizens can easily understand.
Training of communicators
Kabore said training would be one of his major priorities if elected.
He argued that communicators need continuous access to information and skills development to enable them to perform effectively in an increasingly competitive media and digital environment.
His proposed approach would include strengthening communicators’ knowledge of government policies, improving their ability to explain policy outcomes and ensuring that information is disseminated to them in a timely manner.
Effective political communication, he noted, requires more than defending a party’s record; it also requires communicators to understand the concerns of citizens and respond to them with facts and clear explanations.
The growing importance of social media also means communicators need to distinguish between verified information, opinion, misinformation and deliberately misleading content before sharing information with the public.
Changing perceptions
Kabore said he would also seek to address what he described as negative perceptions of the NDC in the Ashanti Region through strategic communication.
The Ashanti Region has traditionally been an important political battleground, making communication a significant component of the parties’ efforts to engage voters and explain their policies.
Kabore said the regional communication team should therefore develop messages that speak directly to the concerns of residents while providing factual explanations of the government’s policies and achievements.
He said communicators must be able to move beyond partisan exchanges and present information in a manner that is credible and persuasive without sacrificing accuracy.
Communicators’ welfare
Kabore also identified the welfare of party communicators as an area requiring attention.
He described communicators as an important part of the party’s political organisation and said their contribution to the party’s communication efforts should be supported with the necessary resources, information and organisational structures.
He said improving the effectiveness of communicators would require attention not only to messaging but also to their preparedness, coordination and access to relevant information.
Building an effective communication team
Kabore’s proposed communication agenda places emphasis on coordination between the regional, constituency and branch communication structures.
For such a structure to function effectively, communicators would need clear lines of communication, consistent briefing materials and a system for rapidly verifying information before it is released publicly.
They would also need to understand the difference between communicating policy and engaging in political attacks, particularly in an environment where inaccurate claims can spread rapidly through social media.
Kabore said his experience across different levels of the party had prepared him to work with existing structures and bring together communicators around a common communication strategy.
The contest for the position forms part of the NDC’s internal processes ahead of the party’s preparations for the 2028 general elections.
Kabore is calling for support for his bid as the nomination and filing process gets underway, as he seeks the opportunity to lead the party’s communication team in the Ashanti Region.
His campaign, as outlined in his remarks, is centred on grassroots experience, strategic communication, training, timely access to information, communicator welfare and a coordinated approach to presenting the party’s policies and record to the public.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
