The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced a significant increase in media accreditation for the upcoming general elections.
The commission has increased the number of accreditation cards for media personnel to cover the collation of results at constituency and regional collation centres to 4,500.
This move comes after the EC faced criticism for its initial decision to limit media access to the collation centres.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) had described the decision as “misguided” and called for its reversal.
However, the EC has clarified that its initial decision was intended to ensure minimum coverage at all collation centres, rather than to restrict media access.
The commission has now agreed to increase the number of accreditations to 4,500, which is 1,192 more than the initial suggested minimum of 3,308.
The accreditation cards will be issued to the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Ghana Independent Broadcaster Association (GIBA) by Sunday evening.
The allocation and distribution of the cards will be done by the GJA and GIBA, without any interference from the EC.
The EC has emphasized its commitment to working with the media to ensure transparent and credible elections.
The commission has stressed that it needs the media’s support to ensure the success of the electoral process.
-BY Daniel Bampoe