Since the introduction of the facebook initiative in September by the Ministry of Information, about 3,000 people across the globe every week interact with the sector Minister and her two deputies.
Facebook is one of the largest global internet based social platforms. The Minister, Mrs Zita Okaikoi, says the ministry�s initiative to interact with the public on Facebook, has been so far very beneficial.
�The response has been tremendous,� Mrs Okaikoi told the Times on Friday, after going through the usual Friday facebook session. She said she and her two deputies answered questions and took suggestions from more than 3,000 people across the globe weekly.
The Minister recently introduced the Facebook session to create a platform for her ministry to have regular interactions with the public on issues of national concern.
The initiative, which is in line with the government�s open-door-policy, was particularly to enable members of the public, within and outside the country to seek clarification on issues bothering them.
The Minister, together with her deputies, spend two hours, from 8am to 10am on Fridays to interact with hundreds of people.
�I have more than a thousand visitors on my page at anytime, and I chat with the on many developmental issues,� she said.
In addition, she said that she took time to accommodate questions of others who were unable to participate during the interactive sessions. According to her, answers to questions she could not address immediately, were e-mailed to the questioners later. As to the most frequently raised issues, Mrs Okaikoi said concerns cut across various sectors of the economy ranging from governance, economy, education, healthcare to sports.
Through the sessions, Mrs Okaikoi noted that government had been able to get immediate feedback on a number of its policies, adding that many of the concerns had been found to be legitimate.
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