padfm.com.gh / by Zulka
The Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said government’s commitment to supporting the work of journalists in Ghana is real and on course because the media is a powerful stakeholder.
The Minister said this on Saturday, May 8, 2021, at Damongo in the Savannah region of Ghana whilst on a three-day tour to the North East, Upper East, Northern, Savannah and Upper West regions to engage with journalists and get some vital feedbacks.
The tour forms part of government’s efforts in taking inputs from important stakeholders with a view to restructure the media landscape and support media personnel with the needed materials Undertake their roles.
He said media freedom is critical in the development of the country. Whatever the Executive, Judiciary, Legislature and other stakeholders do, it is the media that carries the information to the world.
The NPP administration has done a lot to improve media freedom in the country as contain in the chapter 12 of the 1992 constitution.
He said ex president John Kuffour’s administration revoked the criminal libel law, which means that even if you were libelous of somebody, a criminal option would not be occasionned and also provided the International Press Center to aid the work of journalists.
The Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration has passed the Right To Information Bill to help journalists access information easily.
A lot of information officers have also been trained to help make the job of journalists easy.
Part of the support mechanism the Minister noted is the provision of the office for the Coordinated Mechanism on the Safety of Journalists to investigate reported attacks on journalists, validate same and take the necessary steps to seek legal redress.
“That office is just one additional layer to the many other layers of work that government and specifically the Akufo-Addo administration has been embarking on to deepen media freedoms and the freedoms of expression,” he said.
Oppong Nkrumah implored the media to hold public officers accountable to help develop the country.
He admonished the media in the region to take keen interest in the tourism industry and promote the growth and development of communities in the region because the area has many potential tourists centers.
The Mole National Park, Laribanga mosque, the mistick stone, kenikeni forest, Ndewura Jakpa tomb, Salaga Slave trade center, Daboya smock village, and other tourists centers are located in the Savannah region.
The Covid-19 has destabilized the economic and many other activities in the country.
He also admonished town the public to strictly adhere to the Covid-19 preventive etiquettes although the region has few active cases.
The Savannah regional minister, Saeed Muhazu Jibril commended the media in the region for the support so far despite the seeming challenges.
” I have enjoyed tremendous support from the media in the region despite transportation challenges. In my discussion with the information minister, I told him I have enjoyed 100% support from the Savannah region media.
The fleet for the media is not the best, sometimes the RCC use pickups to move them around. They are always available because they want the stories told to the world “.
He thanked the information minister for making it a point to interact with journalists in the region.
The NPP regional chairperson, Alhaji Iddrisu Sulemana ( Proff Kalamonia), Youth Organizer, Akati Mahama, Secretary, Haruna, and others were present.
padfm.com.gh / Abdulai Zulkaninu
