ADVERTISING PRACTITIONERS SCHOOLED ON PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES AS PART OF ADVOCACY FOR ADVERTISING COUNCIL BILL

The Advertising Association of Ghana, AAG resumed advocacy for passage of the Advertising Council Bill this year with a two-day training on parliamentary procedures for thirty of its members at the Coconut Grove Hotel in Accra.

The thirty trainees are part of a team from the Association that will engage parliament on the need to pass the Advertising Council Bill into law.

Former Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Hon. Fritz Baffour who served as one of two resource persons for the training expressed hope that the bill will be passed this time round.

“It is in the interest of all to ensure adequate support to push this bill for passage into law because the advertising industry needs regulation to thrive”, he said.

The Advertising Council Bill made it to the last parliament for a first reading but could not be passed before expiration of its tenure.

According to the Executive Director of AAG, Francis Dadzie, this time round, his Secretariat is working on rallying members, public spirited individuals and the media to join in the advocacy action to ensure complete success.

“We have seen how the absence of regulation continues to contribute to loss of revenue not just to practitioners, but to government as well and the negative impact of false advertisement on consumers, including the risks we are all exposed to from reckless siting of outdoor advertising structures. It is therefore critical for every well-meaning Ghanaian to join us in this advocacy for passage of the Advertising Bill into law.”

Participants described the two-day training as very insightful, saying it has given them key advocacy skills and understanding of strategies to effectively engage legislators for passage of the Advertising Council Bill into law.

Certificates in Basic Advocacy Training were presented to participants after the training which was partly sponsored with grant from the BUSAC Fund Phase III with support from DANIDA, USAID and the EU.