Government Communication and the Public: An Examination of Communication Strategies Related to Ghana’s Return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Program in 2022

Abstract

Government communication has emerged as an important aspect of political communication in efforts to generate well-informed citizens and enhance their understanding of key national policies, ideas, and decisions. Communication remains a critical instrument in the art of governance for several reasons, including galvanizing support for government decisions, shaping public perception, and ensuring accountability. The goal of this research is to examine the communication strategies employed by the government of Ghana in communicating its decision to return to the IMF as part of economic policy measures to support what was seen at the time as an ailing economy in 2022. The main goals of this study were to identify the various communication strategies employed by the government and to assess the strategies unearthed while offering recommendations. Th study is anchored by the framework of government communication, an emerging field in political communication studies. In-depth interviews were conducted with the media, communication experts, and scholars to address the objectives set forth. The following communicative problems were unearthed: inconsistency in government communication, lack of authentic and honest discourse, evasion of responsibility, use of wrong channels, and unsuitable communication officials. The study has both practical and academic usefulness, as it informs studies in the increasingly important field of government communication and the professional practice of communication by governments, particularly in emerging democracies such as Ghana.