The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has called for the provision of adequate security for journalists who reported on illegal small-scale mining related issues from mining sites in the country.
The President of the GJA, Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, made the call at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday on national issues and issues related to media freedom that confronted the country.
According to Mr Dwumfour, the GJA had observed that the various ‘galamsey’ intervention measures that were being rolled out by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources did not include security measures to ensure the protection of journalists who reported from galamsey sites.
He explained that the media played a critical role and was a key stakeholder in the fight against galamsey as it shed light on areas related to illegal small-scale mining activities that may be hidden from the government.
Mr Dwumfour, therefore, urged the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to prioritise the safety and protection of the media when rolling out its galamsey intervention programmes and measures.
He commended the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, for the show of commitment and dedication he had attached to the fight against illegal small-scale mining since his appointment.
Mr Dwumfour expressed concern over the delay in the inauguration of a new National Media Commission (NMC), following the end of the tenure of the old Commission in November last year.
He further explained that checks conducted by the GJA on the issue indicated that the delay of the inauguration of a new NMC was because some constituents were either yet or late to submit their nominations to the NMC Secretariat.
“As we speak, there is no NMC. The tenure of the Commission expired in November 2024, but since then, a new Commission has not been inaugurated into office. Our checks indicate that some constituents are yet, or were late to submit their nominations to the NMC Secretariat, hence the delay,” Mr Dwumfour said.
According to him, the absence of the NMC was a “dangerous and undesirable” situation for the media and the country at large.
He, therefore, urged constituents who were either yet or late to submit their nominations to the NMC Secretariat to do so without delay to pave the way for the inauguration of a new NMC.
Additionally, Mr Dwumfour urged the NMC Secretariat to go ahead with the inauguration of the nominations it had received so far in order to enable them to commence work while it waited for others to join later.
Again, Mr Dwumfour said that the GJA had instructed its legal team to take immediate steps to initiate a judicial review of the laws under which the Special Prosecutor operates.
This, he said, follows the decision of the Office Special Prosecutor (OSP) to detain Mr George Asare-Bediako, a journalist, for alleging that the Special Prosecutor, Mr Kissi Agyebeng, had requested the Akufo-Addo’s government to buy a private jet for his official use.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
