President Mahama presenting the Journalist of the Year award to Osei Bonsu
President John Dramani Mahama has allocated a total of GH¢10 million to the Media Development Fund to support journalists and promote the development of the media industry.
The allocation reinforces the Mahama led-administration’s commitment to protecting press freedom and strengthening media independence.
Speaking at the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards last Saturday, President Mahama said his administration would uphold the media’s constitutional mandate to hold government accountable, stressing that journalists must be protected from threats and attacks in the line of duty.
He pledged to take action against any institution or individual who assaults any media practitioner, emphasising that any reporter who reports a threat to his or her life would have the matter treated seriously.
Addressing the rising issues around false information, he urged journalists to exercise greater responsibility in verifying information before publication or broadcast, particularly by establishing the source and authenticity of recordings before airing them.
Meanwhile, the President of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, has kicked against the use of media station closures as a punitive measure for regulatory breaches, warning of the implications for journalists’ livelihoods and press freedom.
He said the closure of media organisations affects not only the organisations involved but also journalists and other media professionals whose livelihoods depend on their operations.
“The fact that a media organisation may have breached a regulatory requirement should not automatically make the livelihood of its workers collateral damage.
“We must be careful not to create a situation in which the exercise of regulatory authority becomes an instrument that leaves journalists and other media practitioners without jobs,” he stated.
He also acknowledged Ghana’s 39th position in the 2026 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, describing it as an important indicator of the country’s standing in the protection of press freedom.
Mr. Dwumfour stressed that public authorities must exercise their powers in ways that protect citizens’ rights and strengthen confidence in democratic governance.
“In a democratic society like ours, public authority must be exercised in a way that inspires confidence and reassures citizens that the power they entrusted to their leaders is not being used to trample upon their rights or diminish their freedom,” he pointed out.
He reaffirmed the need for a media environment where journalists can work freely and responsibly without undue interference.