Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah
The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, says government through the National Media Commission will be running series of capacity building programmes for Ghanaian journalists starting from this year.
According to the minister, government is aware of the burden on the Ghanaian media, and has therefore decided to take up the cost of capacity building of the personnel, so as to lessen the burden on the institutions.
He said government is working around the clock to find ways to support the media and lessen the financial burden on them, to prevent the situation where some “Pay Masters” may enter the media industry to lure some with financial assistance to do what may not be in the interest of the country.
The Information Minister made the announcement at a media encounter in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region during a working visit to the area to assess the work of the Information Services Departments across the country.
“This capacity building will not be limited to Accra; journalists and other media practitioners will have equal opportunities to get trained. Government will support the National Media Commission to offer these capacity buildings. They will invite applications from journalists and media houses across the country. When the media improves, the quality of work and the information they give out to the public will also improve. This will be good for Ghana and the citizenry.”
Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah also announced the creation of an office for the safety of journalists, in Accra, to investigate attacks on journalists and ensure their safety.
“This office will be opened to all journalists and media practitioners to report attacks on them as a result of their work. It will also coordinate the training of journalists across the country. Now, there will be an office for journalists to report attacks on them, unlike what we have now where people report attacks on the social media; many of which cannot be verified,” he said.
Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah urged the media in the region to consider projecting the investment opportunities in the Upper East Region to attract investment to the area.
“… some media houses take delight in highlighting only the negative side of the region. We are always reporting on armed robberies, road accidents and leaving out the many good things in the region. We can expose the business opportunities in the area of agriculture, tourism, the hospitality industry, and others. These positive reports will attract more businesses and investments into the region, which media will also benefit from,” Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah pointed out.
FROM Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga