Ghana

Ghana Armed Forces have pledged to investigate the harassment of a news crew by military officers at a mining site in the mineral-rich Ashanti region.

Ghanian journalist Selorm Gborbidzi was arrested for filming the scuffle between a policeman and a motorist breaching traffic regulations.

The Media Foundation for West Africa is calling on the police to investigate grave threats made against journalists working for Ghana’s Multimedia Group in the aftermath of the December election.

The Media Foundation for West Africa is requesting the Ghanian police take action against an immigration official who has been making serious threats against editor Emmanuel Akli.

The MFWA embarks on a programme to enhance the digital literacy of women and training around advocacy for women’s online rights in Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

“Whatsup News” editor David Tamakloe was arrested and charged after the media outlet reported on the alleged harassment of communities perceived to be sympathisers of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The effectiveness of Media Foundation for West Africa’s COVID-19 fact-checking initiative is enhanced by the involvement of the diverse array of media outlets.

This is the third time in four months that a soldier has assaulted a journalist in Ghana. The MFWA finds this recent spate quite disturbing and urges the military authorities to take steps to curb it.

The Media Foundation for West Africa recently launched a manual outlining the policy framework used to build a bridge between the police and media in Ghana.

Prominent editor and publisher Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has won a defamation suit against Ghanian member of parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, who has been ordered to pay approximately US$18,000 in damages and retract defamatory statements he made against the journalist.

Private radio station Radio Tongu was taken off the air by Ghana’s National Communications Authority on grounds of national security and the public interest.

MFWA is expanding its programme on promoting citizens’ participation in local governance and has planned public education forums on the upcoming district level elections in Ghana.

Ghanian journalist Ohemaa Sakyiwaa was granted compensation of US$1600 to be paid by Hajia Fati, a member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

To ensuring effective implementation of Ghana’s RTI law, the MFWA provides summary key points from Samson Lardy Anyenini’s presentation on the protocols to request and access information.

Policy advocates question what measures are in place to ensure an effective implementation of the Right to Information law amidst critical concerns about how well citizens and the media know the law, and how aware government officials are regarding their obligations under the law.

Compelling, in-depth investigative features are being produced by West African journalists through an MFWA programme support for critical, independent and high-quality reports on issues of governance, accountability and transparency.