Be much more interested in promoting positive stories about Ghana - Information Minister to Journalists

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has admonished the media to work to deepen the freedom of expression and freedom of the media which the John Agyekum Kuffour government granted with the repeal of the criminal libel law in July 2001.

Addressing journalists in Tamale on Saturday 8th May 2021 during a reacquaintance tour to the five northern regions of Ghana, the minister noted that President Akuffo-Addo's administration is working hard to deepen the culture of free expression and media freedom, with the passing of the Right to Information Act, as well as setting up an office for the Coordinated Mechanism for the Safety of Journalists so that persons who feel intimidated or assaulted in their line of duty can formally lodge a complaint for an investigation to be commenced into such matters. 

Reacting to the recent supposition of a culture of silence under this government, the minister noted that such claims are woefully incorrect, especially when there are about five hundred radio stations and over a hundred television stations operating across the country.

According to him, "the reality is that some people rather feel uncomfortable when the views they have expressed are questioned or responded to." 

He, therefore, cautioned the media to be circumspect in their reportage because "as a country, the kind of narrative or impression we create of ourselves is what global platforms feed on to mark us down."

According to him, there is the need for the media to be interested in "promoting positive stories about the country, to attract investors; while we hold public officials accountable and draw the masses' attention to their daily difficulties".

He pointed to the fact that "when journalists take a keen interest in projecting their region very positively, investors would definitely come down to invest."

Seizing the opportunity to touch on the recent economic recession experienced by the country, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said it was necessary for the government to do excessive borrowing; in order to contain the Covid-19 pandemic to secure the lives of Ghanaians.

"We, literally, had to sacrifice the economy. Today, you see a deficit of 11 per cent; you see a debt to GDP ratio of over 70 per cent; you see that revenues have fallen, and you see that expenditures are challenged. But all these are to be expected if we are going to sacrifice that to save lives. It is after we have protected lives that we can have the conversation of how to bring the economy back to life."

The minister added that "the administration that was able to bring the economy back to life in 2017 and 2019 is capable of bringing the economy back to life in 2021 and beyond."

He, therefore, elucidated that "in our quest to see the economy come back to life, there is a collective responsibility for us all, as citizens of this country."

Stephen Boakye Amoah, Northern Region