Government Communication during the Covid-19 Pandemic; the Case of Ghana

Abstract

With the novel nature of the Covid-19, different researches are being carried out in various fields of which public administration is no exception. Public administration as an applied field offers more insights on how governments are responding to the pandemic. One key approach to managing the pandemic is through effective government communication. As novel as the Covid-19 situation is, how countries have utilized communication strategies to fight against this Covid-19 pandemic have also not yet been well documented in the literature. Using a qualitative document analysis approach, this paper seeks to answer two questions; what communication strategies have been used by the government of Ghana to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic? How have these communication strategies been effective in fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic in Ghana? The study identified that the government of Ghana has been using frequent Presidential addresses, Minister’s Press Briefings, designated Covid-19 Website, and Social and Traditional Media to provide information to the citizens. These communication strategies have been used by the government to “Spread Calm, Not Fear” and to drive the entire population with the government in the fight against Covid-19. Documenting the experiences of Ghana in the literature will greatly contribute to knowledge especially as Ghana has been one of the highlights during the Covid-19 pandemic.