Communication is a prerequisite for the success of any institution especially in the area of its relationship with other institutions and/or people. This serves many purposes and creates a smooth road for prosperity.
It is for this reason that most institutions, companies, and departments hire very competent and skillful communicators to pave a way for the smooth running of its affairs and straiten its relationship with the outside world.
When an institution, organization or company has a good communicator, it quickly portrays an excellent image of itself and builds trust and confidence such that many will have the zeal and enthusiasm to deal with it. In this way it accelerates its growth and success.
It is in light of the foregoing that the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) is rebuilding confidence and trust in the people and doing a very good job of it. This is because the GAF has an excellent Public Relations Officer in the person of Major Lamin K Sanyang. Major Sanyang is doing such an excellent job that he is highly respected by the people with whom he comes into contact.
Ask anyone in the media about him and the feedback would be certainly positive. Major Sanyang is a professional through and through, humble and straightforward. He has a very good relationship with all the media houses in the country and is always willing and ready to answer questions. He never rejects calls from the media and always answers questions without holding anything back.
Major Sanyang even created a WhatsApp group to which he added all the media houses and gives them information regularly and that whenever the need arises, he gives information out to them in an accurate and timely manner.
That is the kind of relationship we want between the media and institutions. Once there is confidence and understanding, the media would only publish information that is accurate and factual because someone is always available on the line to help cross-check it.
What is typical of majority of institutions is to avoid journalists, parry questions or insist on speaking off-record so that if things go wrong, they can always deny it. However, the Army PRO has been anything but that; he has been excellent in communicating vital information to the media. He understands the importance of media and doesn’t only talk about it and stop there like others, he shows it regularly.
That is why anyone would observe how many stories concerning the army have been published across the media. It doesn’t mean only the army is working, no, it means only the army is communicating well and that is thanks to Major Lamin K Sanyang.
Public relations officers of all other institutions should emulate the excellent work of Major Lamin K Sanyang. In that way we will see a great improvement of the services provided for the Gambian people.
We at The Standard say well done Major Lamin K Sanyang! You’re by a mile the best PRO in the country and the Army should be proud of you! Cheers!
