Speaking at the media launch of the 2018 World Press Freedom Day, Dr. Hamid urged Ghanaians to be proud about the opportunity given to Ghana to host this year’s edition as it was a “boost in our credentials as a country that holds its press freedom in high esteem.

He explained that “despite our shortcomings as a country, the country had chalked a great feat with regards to democracy and press freedom” noting that the country “currently has over 350 radio stations, 45 newspapers and 16 television stations across the country: a trait very rare in our part of the continent.”

Mr. Hamid explained that the country had come a long way with democracy and press freedom through the hard work of the media fraternity in the country, and the country as a whole.

He expressed his excitement at the decision by UNESCO to grant Ghana the hosting rights for this year’s event.

“We are very excited that UNESCO  offered us a small country with a population of less than 30 million to host the WPFD, despite the fact that there were bigger nations who also wanted the right.”

Dr. Hamid assured journalists of government’s commitment to ensuring that members of the fraternity practiced in an environment free of any threats in their line of work. He also assured the fraternity of government’s commitment to passing the Right to Information bill before the year ends.

“Fortunately for us, we have a president who is known as a human rights lawyer, we can be rest assured that no journalist will face threats of arrest, tension or intimidation for expressing their views.”

He encouraged journalists to support and take part in the celebration to champion the cause for Press Freedom around the world.

Country Representative of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and co chairman of the Steering Committee for WPFD 2018, Teso Del Santos, noted that his outfit is excited to partner the ministry to deliver on the global celebration  in Ghana.

He further stated that UNESCO seeks to train journalism students in the art of news coverage. He was hopeful that the celebration will give the students the best opportunity to try their hands on reporting international events like this one.

World Press Freedom Day was adopted from the Windhoek Declaration in 1983 to promote independent and pluralistic press around the world.

This year’s celebration slated for May 3 and 4, is themed “Keeping Power in Check; Media, Justice and the Rule of Law”.

The celebration will feature academic conferences which will discuss Right to Information, Role of Judiciary in Protecting Journalist, Covering Elections and Electoral Campaigns, Policy Labs and the UNESCO Guillermo Cann World Press Freedom Awards Ceremony to honour journalists who have exhibited dedication to the cause  Press Freedom around the world.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Ghana will join the rest of the world to host the World Press Freedom Day on May 2 and 3 this year, to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and to advance the cause of journalism.

[contextly_sidebar id=”MDGgGhXHAYsvMgXmUz0i6Ih6iMt90AaD”]According to the Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah, it is not too late for the government to pass the Bill, and passing the Bill will show the country’s commitment to the pursuit of democratic values.

“It will be embarrassing for us, if we host the World Press Freedom Day and we still do not have the RTI bill. It is quiet worrying that countries around us and countries in Africa, that we appear to be doing better than, who praise Ghana all the time, have gone ahead to have the Right to Information law in place,” he said.

He noted that it is quite sad that over the period 6 years, the number of countries that have passed the RTI Bill has increased from 6 to 21, but Ghana is not included.

“We can talk about our three neighbouring Togo, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and in West Africa, we can talk about Nigeria, Sierre Leone, Liberia, Niger, Guinea, all these countries ave RTI Bill in place,” he said.

The NPP government, in the build-up to the 2016 elections, promised to expedite the passage of the bill.

The Foundation’s Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah, wants the Akufo-Addo government to pass the bill before hosting the World Press Freedom Day this year.

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has promised that government will facilitate the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill this year.

He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is committed to enhancing accountability and dealing with corruption.

The Right to Information (RTI) Coalition,  hit the streets in September 2017,  to raise awareness on the need for the passage of bill.

The Right to Information (RTI) Coalition expressed disappointment in President Mahama’s leadership for failing to ensure the passage of the bill before he exited.

According to the Coalition, “President Mahama had not demonstrated strong commitment to the passage of the RTI Bill, despite his party’s promises in their 2008 and 2012 manifestos.”

Many advocates of free speech have criticized successive governments for their lack of interest in ensuring that the Bill is passed.

The bill, which has been in and out of Parliament for over a decade, is yet to be passed in spite of its potential of enhancing access to information in the country.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He said “Ghana will host the World Press Freedom Day in May, this year. I believe that it will be fantastic for it to pass the RTI to show that it is truly serious about press freedom and I will love to see it.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”TSmMZlh1953mFBWfQ41R1Fm5iSeQ4fu4″]Mr. Jackson said this when he interacted with selected journalists in Tamale on Sunday evening as part of his duty tour of the Northern Region to among others inaugurate four Community-based Health Planning and Services compounds in the region.

Mr. Jackson lauded the government for its efforts to tackle corruption by passing the Special Prosecutor Act, and nominating the Special Prosecutor, but added that the RTI, which is believed to aid the fight against corruption, should also be passed into law.

Media practitioners and civil society organisations championing the fight against corruption have vigorously campaigned for the passage of the RTI into law, but the RTI is yet to see the light of day, more than a decade after it was introduced in Parliament.

The New Patriotic Party, whiles in opposition, promised to pass the RTI into law during its first year in government, but had failed to pass it as promised, and is now in its second year in government.

Mr. Jackson gave thumbs up to journalists in the country, saying there had been great improvement in journalism practice in the country over the past two years.

Mr. Jackson also spoke about the US Diversity Visa Lottery programme, saying more Ghanaians applied for the programme than people from any other country in the world in 2017, as the US Embassy in Accra recorded over 1.5 million applications from Ghana.

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Source: GNA

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The two-day event, 3^rd to 4^th May, 2018, will bring together leading actors from the media, civil society, policy makers, representatives of the judiciary and academia, to discuss latest developments and pressing challenges related to press freedom and the safety of journalists.

The event, which will be organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), will be partnered by the government of Ghana.

The 2018 edition of the World Freedom Day will be on the theme:  “Media, Justice and the Rule of law”.

[contextly_sidebar id=”PvCtcTU0Sb43BP6nQfSObPpcSTEa0sZV”]It is the fourth time that the global celebration of WPFD will take place on African soil – 27 years after the Windhoek Declaration on free, independent and pluralistic media was adopted, and later endorsed by UNESCO’s General Conference.

The main celebration in Accra is expected to be reinforced by some 100 national events the world over.

Speaking to the media on a brief visit to Ghana, Irina Bokova, the Director General of the UNESCO, called on government to focus on giving citizens much more access to information.

This she said would quicken Ghana’s ability to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“I’m very excited that Ghana extended an invitation to host [the World Press Freedom Day] next year, on the 3^rd of May. We know that people need to be informed in order to take the right decisions, and also because we consider that this is not just a human right but it is vital for sustainable development, and that when we speak about the implementation of the agenda 2030 for sustainable development where UNESCO is the lead agency in education, we work a lot in social inclusion, in gender equality, in youth development, skills for young people, but also goal 16 which is about strong institution, inclusive and just societies.”

“I would say overall journalism plays a huge importance, and UNESCO is very much looking forward to the next World Press Freedom Day here in Ghana,” she added.

Ambassador of Ghana to UNESCO, Anna Bossman, also said Ghana’s acceptance to host the event “demonstrates her commitment to the promotion of press freedom within our national territorial boundaries, the African continent as a whole, and the global community in general.”

Ghana and the Right to Information Bill

This comes on the back of pressure on government to pass the Right to Information Bill (RTI), which has been in Parliament for well over a decade now.

The RTI Bill is a fundamental human right guaranteed by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, and recognized as a right under International Conventions on Human rights.

The Bill is expected to give substance to Article 21 (1) (f) of the Constitution, which states that “All persons shall have the right to information subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society”.

It was drafted in 1999, and reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

The first attempt at enacting the law on the right to information was made when the Bill was presented to Parliament on February 5, 2010.

The Attorney-General on June 25, 2015, moved the Bill for the second reading, but could not be passed by the previous Parliament.

Meanwhile, the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, had earlier promised that government will facilitate the passage of the Bill.

“Our government has already made it clear that we will be passing the Right to Information Act. We will make sure a special prosecutor’s office is set up to prosecute corruption, and we will amend the criminal code to move corruption from a misdemeanor to a felony. These are just some of the actions we intend to implement this year,” Dr Bawumia said.

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By: Michael Ogbodu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The ICT training which will span a period of two months will have the officer’s trained in Microsoft suit and other internet based applications to equip them to meet the changing trends in technology.

The training, the University says forms part of the company’s quest to assist the government to empower individuals in ICT.

Assistant Registrar in-charge of Marketing and University Relations Kumasi – campus of the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC), George Akom told Kumasi based radio station ultimate radio the training program is to compliment government’s efforts at implementing an E-Governance platform in Ghana.

“We are doing this in support of government’s vision of implementing E Governance in the country. GTUC as a technology school, as part of our corporate social responsibility is in support of this vision to bring technology to all people in ministries, departments and agencies of government,” he stated.

He said they were beginning with 80 officers from the Central Prisons after which the concentration would move to prison officers from the Manhyia Prisons Division.

e also indicated that Obuase would be their next destination after completing with Kumasi.

George Akom said the University plans to institute a training program for ICT and Computer Science for other security services as well to improve their practical knowledge in ICT.

By: Afiba Anyanzua Anyanzu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Opoku Ware Senior High School in Kumasi has introduced a smart board technology to enhance an interactive way of teaching.

Source: Graphic Online

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