A Study of the Communication Strategies of the Agona East District Assembly

Abstract

Communication is vital for the success of all human institutions and the Agona East District Assembly is no exception. This study set out to determine the communication strategies used by the Agona East District Assembly in its daily interactions with its numerous clients and publics. Particular attention was given to communication channels and methods the Assembly used in interacting with community members. The study was guided by two communication theories- two-step flow communication and participatory communication. These theories were considered appropriate given the mandate of the Agona East District Assembly as a Local Government Authority to promote and explain government policies and programmes at the grassroot through public or popular participation. The mixed methods approach was used to gather data for this study. Interviews were conducted with key District Assembly officials. As well, documents which indicated communication between the Assembly and its publics were studied. A survey of 400 people including opinion leaders, traditional leaders and other persons drawn from the five area councils was also conducted. Among other things, the study found that the Assembly employed a number of communication channels depending on the situation, audience and other factors which sometimes differed from community members‟ preferred communication channels. This finding led the researcher to conclude that the disparity in the Assembly‟s communication practices and community members‟ preferred channels was a possible cause of misunderstanding between the Assembly and community members.