The Institute of Public Relations, Ghana (IPR) has inducted 30 new members with a call on them to work towards uplifting professional standards.

The inductees took the membership oath and pledged to abide by the code of ethics and statutes of the institute at all times.

They were later presented with membership certificates to signify their admission to the institute at a ceremony in Accra last Friday.

The inductees included the Head of Corporate Affairs of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Ms Afua Amankwa Sarkodie; the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Water Company Limited, Mr Stanley Martey; the Head of Public Relations at the Ghana

Chamber of Mines, Mr Ahmed Dasana Nantogmah, and the Head of Corporate Affairs and Marketing of the Glico Group, Nana Efua Rockson.

The IPR is the sole professional body for public relations practitioners in the country.

Commendation

The President of the IPR, Ms Elaine Sam, welcomed the new members into the institute and commended them for “upholding high professional standards” in their many years of practice.

She gave an assurance that having become members of the institute, the IPR would not relent in its efforts to champion their interest at all times and also offer assistance to them whenever there was the need.

Ms Sam appealed to them to use their rich experience for the welfare and progress of the IPR to enable it to maintain its relevance in the communication space.

“The future of our profession lies in your hands and I will entreat you to ponder on how you can draw closer to the institute to make our profession more respected and relevant at all times,” she added.

Concerns

Ms Sam expressed worry over what she described as the alarming number of institutions in the country “that claim to offer training in public relations.”

She said if the situation was not checked, by tracing the backgrounds of lecturers and the nature of courses offered by those institutions, it could lead to the lowering of standards in the training and a resultant churn out of poor quality practitioners.

She also entreated corporate organisations to employ the services of professional public relations practitioners who could serve the interest of their organisations well.

Gratitude

On behalf of her colleagues, the Vice President in charge of Sustainability and External Relations of Newmont Africa, Ms Adiki Ofeibea Ayitevie, expressed their gratitude to the IPR for the honour done them.

She pledged their resolve to contribute their knowledge and expertise to the growth of the institute to enable it to achieve its goals.

Source: Graphic.com.gh