The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has issued a five-day ultimatum to Dr David Tenkorang-Twum, General Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), to retract and apologise for a threat he allegedly made against journalists earlier this year.
Dr Tenkorang-Twum is said to have made the threats in June this year, during the GRNMA nationwide strike.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Friday, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President of the GJA, described those statements as “utterly irresponsible” and “disturbing.”
“This is not a mere slip of the tongue; it is a blatant threat of violence against journalists in Ghana,” he said.
“The GJA finds these remarks utterly irresponsible, deeply disturbing, and unbefitting of a leader of a professional health association. To publicly declare, in an antagonistic tone, that journalists have been ‘marked’ and will be ‘shown’ in hospitals is nothing short of intimidation and an attempt to instil fear among media practitioners,” Dwumfour said.
He noted that journalists played critical roles in unearthing the shortcomings within the health sector, while also seeking better conditions of service for health workers. That, Mr. Dwumfour said, deserved commendation and respect from all persons who benefitted from the work of the media rather than attacks and threats. He said the Association would not countenance any such threats against the lives of journalists, saying, “The GJA will not be cowed, neither will the media fraternity allow itself to be intimidated by reckless threats, regardless of who makes them.”
Dwumfour warned that failure by Dr. Tenkorang-Twum to retract within the stipulated time would lead to court action, adding that the GJA would hold him (the Gen. Secretary) personally accountable for any harm that might befall journalists in public hospitals or elsewhere as a result of his utterances.
“If Dr Tenkorang-Twum fails to retract and apologise, the GJA reserves the right to pursue legal action against him personally in a court of competent jurisdiction,” he added.
“We will hold him fully responsible in law and in public accountability for the consequences of his reckless statements.”
Dwumfour called on the leadership of the GRNMA to publicly dissociate itself from those comments, warning that its continued silence on the matter would be considered as “endorsement and complicity.”
“We urge the Government, the Ministry of Health, and the security agencies to take immediate steps to assure journalists of their safety in hospitals and other public spaces,” he said.
The GJA President urged the media to uphold the ethics of the profession to ensure public trust.
He, however, condemned attempts by a section of the media to link the statements made by Dr Tenkorang-Twum in June 2025 to the recent alleged attack on some nurses at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, describing it as “unethical.”
Such conduct, he said, amounted to disinformation, the undermining of public trust in journalism, and the damaging of the credibility of the profession.
“The GJA, therefore, entreats hosts of radio and television programmes, as well as editors and producers of online and traditional media outlets, to exercise greater circumspection in the discharge of their duties,” Mr. Dwumfour said.
“They must avoid intemperate language, desist from misleading their audiences, and always adhere to the ethics of the profession.”
