Deputy Minister of Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says it’s high time journalists in the country pushed boundaries and held leadership accountable.
He says journalists can easily achieve this by taking advantage of the independence of the media guaranteed in the country’s constitution.
He was speaking on behalf of President Mahama yesterday at the inauguration of the Komla Dumor Centre for Broadcast Journalism at the African University College of Communication.
He remarked: “We live in a country that you can have a journalist shake the foundations of this nation, the foundations of our judiciary and the state is seen visibly protecting that journalist. We all have to be proud about that.
“We are being celebrated all over the world that we respect journalists, we do not hound journalists, we do not attack journalists that when journalists do ground breaking work and even seek to criticize the state or shake very important arm of government, we are seen celebrating the journalist, that should be an encouragement to all our journalists.”
Ghana is ranked second in Africa after Namibia by international agency, Reporters Without Borders, which put together the word press index, he noted.
The Komla Dumor Centre for Broadcast Journalism is in honour of the late Broadcaster by giving full expression to his legacy.
Mr. OkudzetoAblakwa further disclosed government’s plans to grant scholarships to prospective students of the centre.
The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin who inaugurated the Centre urged media owners to improve conditions of journalists in the country.
Member of the Governing Council of the African University College of Communication, Nana Essilfie-Conduah called on all government institutions to scrap from their budgets, funding allocation for media coverage.
This, according to him, should help reduce corruption in the media.
The late broadcaster’s father, Prof Ernest Dumor is the Chairman of the newly inaugurated Komla Dumor Centre for Broadcast Journalism.
Credit: Myjoyonline.com
