Bobo-Dioulasso, The Hauts-Bassins regional communication directorate on Thursday initiated a training and experience exchange workshop for the benefit of communication officers from around thirty municipalities and districts of the region.

“The workshop aims to strengthen the capacities of communication officers from local authorities in the region on the role of communication in local development in order to fully play their role”, declared the representative of the regional director of communication of Hauts – Basins, Sayouba Mamboné.

The theme of the workshop is: “The place of communication in an administration”.

According to Mr. Mamboné, the workshop will make it clear that the communications officer belongs to the community and not to the town hall.

“The communication officers constitute the linchpin in the concretization of the participatory approach and the exercise of accountability of the local executives”, he added.

According to the representative, local communities like town halls being both political and administrative, communication officers must be the entry and exit point of their institutions.

The workshop will help participants to set up within town halls a communication service for those who do not have one.

“The workshop will bring a“ plus to local authorities, ”said the representative of the president of the Hauts-Bassins Regional Council, Rachid Zongo.

He lamented the fact that in some communities, communication is based more on the first people in charge rather than on the activities that take place there.

Mr. Zongo also maintained that the communications officer does not belong to a single individual but to an entire structure.

Source: Burkina Information Agency