President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening media freedoms in Ghana, pledging reforms that will safeguard journalists, modernize state-owned media, and restore the country’s international ranking on press freedom.
Speaking at an engagement with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mahama described Ghana’s 1992 Constitution as one of the most progressive in Africa, especially with the introduction of Chapter 12, which guaranteed media freedoms and abolished licensing restrictions on media ownership.
“Since then, the media landscape has changed drastically. With the rise of technology and new media, anyone with a phone and camera can publish news.
This has decentralized communication but also introduced challenges such as unregulated blogging, misinformation, hate speech, and foul language,” Mahama noted.
He expressed concern that bloggers and online platforms, though influential in setting the national agenda, often operate without regulation. “Many of them are unregulated, and sometimes they go to the extreme. Around the world, nations are asking: how do we regulate hate speech and extreme foul language?” he said.
Mahama also criticized the harassment of journalists by security personnel at public events. He called for a forum where the GJA and security agencies could regularly engage to foster better understanding. “Journalists are not enemies. They are there to do their legitimate job of informing the people,” he stressed.
On Ghana’s decline in international press freedom rankings, the former President attributed it partly to the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale and other attacks on reporters. He urged stronger deterrents against such violations.
“Once there is no deterrent, they continue to do it,” he said, adding that his administration would ensure accountability and protection for journalists.
Turning to state-owned media, Mahama said the digital age required a new strategy beyond retooling. He urged outlets such as the Graphic and Ghanaian Times to adopt best practices from international brands like the New York Times by investing in digital subscriptions and interactive programming.
However, he emphasized the continuing relevance of public broadcasting in delivering local language education and public service content that private media may not provide.
On electoral violence, Mahama revealed that investigations into the 2020 and 2024 elections had been completed and handed over to the Attorney General.
The report, he said, documented all victims, including journalists, and would guide prosecutions and a compensation framework for affected families.
He further announced plans to revive the Media Development Fund in the next budget to support journalists and media houses.
“This time, we will put in a transparent mechanism, with a Board of Trustees comprising government and the GJA, to ensure the fund benefits journalists as intended,” he assured.
Mahama also lamented the delay in securing land title for the GJA Press Centre, which was donated over 20 years ago. He promised to work with the Lands Commission to secure it and encouraged corporate bodies to support the development of a modern Press Centre through corporate social responsibility.
Concluding, the former President reiterated his commitment to partnering with journalists to restore Ghana’s global reputation.
“We will work together to improve our international rankings so that Ghana resumes its pride of place as a beacon of media freedom,” Mahama affirmed.
