Журнал массовых коммуникаций и журналистики

Informing and Interacting with Citizens: A Strategic Communication Review of the Websites of the ECOWAS Parliaments

Abstract

Aminu Hamajoda

This is an evaluation of ECOWAS members’ websites based on a modified version of the guidelines recommended by Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 2009. The appraisal under several headings, are suggested to help parliaments plan and oversee their websites in a modern age where the internet provide a continuously significant platform for interacting and communicating with the general public. The study finds out that while most Member States websites score well on general information about their parliaments, they lacked progress in making their websites a one-stop point for political information about their countries, and a fulcrum for interaction between legislators and citizens and a real time deliberation on burning national and regional issues despite the current availability of suitable interactive tools on the internet.