Information Ministry mobilizes support to strengthen Ghanaian media
The Ministry of Information together with its development partners and private sector players have commenced efforts at providing support for the media in the country at the Development Partner’s Conference on Media Support Programme.
This initiative was revealed at a conference organized by the Ministry of information and other partners at Alisa Hotel on August 30, 2021. It is the ministry’s desire to institutionalize this engagement and hold it annually.
Speaking at the conference, Hon Kojo Oppong Nkrumah indicated that Ghana has built for itself a robust culture of independent, free and fierce media practice since independence amidst occasional attacks on the media and complaints about media misreporting by various segments of the society making it a shining example to others globally.
The MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi also submitted that there are a couple of problems the Ghanaian media is facing that need to be urgently addressed. Some of these challenges which he indicated were captured on Wikipedia included poor salaries, under-resourced and lack of training. This makes them accessible to many undesirable practices affecting the quality of work they do.
He further revealed that the task ahead of the Ministry and its partners is to explore and settle on a set of media support programs that respond to the most pressing needs of the Ghanaian media. The framework for curriculum development by stakeholders and academia for media capacity enhancement which is expected to help deal with the gaps in media practice was touched on.
The international partners were invited to provide complimentary, technical and financial assistance to the media through this initiative.
The conference was organized by the Ministry of Information and was attended by the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sanders Sullivan, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications, Cynthia Morrison, Chairman of the NMC, Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Roland Affail Monney, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Prof Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo and Representatives from the UNDP, UNESCO, USAID, PRINPAG, GIBA and private sector players.
Source: Heizel Joshua | myactiveonline.com
