President Akufo-Addo has had cause to advise journalists to desist from churning out lies and vile speculations about the prevailing economic conditions in the country.
He believes any such negative reports tend to affect any gains the government is making in the country’s economic recovery programme.
This was when he addressed journalists at the Ghana Journalists Association dinner night held at the Press Centre in Accra.
“I have an appeal to make of you especially in the times that we find ourselves where the dissemination of accurate information is so critical. As all of you know, we have had to seek the collaboration of the International Monetary Fund to repair in the short term, our public financing. This collaboration with the IMF has meant that government on its part is having to implement difficult and painful measures to get our nation out of the situation that it finds itself.
As natural as it should be, there will be those who would see it with narrow partisan end to spew untruths about these measures with the ultimate goal of being able to misinform the Ghanaian people and creating disaffection for government.
I would urge you not to fall prey to the schemes of such persons. Information regarding the ongoing process is readily available from the Ministers of Finance and Information and I entreat all of you to assist in this endeavor based on the well-established principle of “facts are sacred but the comment is free” he said.
That, he said was because “the rebuilding of a strong Ghanaian economy is at the heart” of the several exercises his government is currently undertaking and in order for his government to be successful, the recovery effort “should be the responsibility of all of us.”
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo indicated that his administration has taken a number of measures which were aimed at ensuring that Journalists in Ghana receive training and other forms of support which can positively influence their work output and professionalism.
He commended the media for keeping his government accountable over the period of its life span and for the strategic coverage the media gave to the out-break of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana since March 2020.
“I want to assure you that government will continue to support the growth and development of the media and media practitioners.
“Government and the media have a responsibility to uphold these high standards (Training, critical engagement of our society with the media, self-regulation and insistence on high media ethics and journalist standard).
“When we appreciate these imperatives and discharge them faithfully, Ghana will be the beneficiary,” President Akufo-Addo said.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent