The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has commended Ghana for its strides in upholding freedom of speech, despite recent assaults on media personnel.
The Foundation emphasized that Ghana’s commitment to free speech and media quality should be recognized not just within Africa but on a global scale.
This praise aligns with President Akufo-Addo’s recent remarks, highlighting that a vibrant media and unfettered expression are key indicators of Ghana’s robust democracy.
In an interview with Citi News, Senior Programmes Officer for Freedom of Expression at the Media Foundation for West Africa, Muheeb Saeed, stressed the importance of safeguarding experts who contribute to public discourse. He urged media outlets to shield these individuals from attacks, emphasizing the risks they face when discussing sensitive topics.
“Generally, within the African context, Ghana will still rank as a decent country as far as the right to freedom of expression is concerned. We are good enough to compete globally and so we will urge the president to hold Ghana up to international standards and not look at the depression in Africa and judge Ghana by that.
“Also, it is a function of how willing people are to contribute to public discourse and I would urge the media to protect experts who come on their shows because when you call an expert to speak to an issue, he gets exposed to party footsoldiers attacking him.”
Ghana dropped two places on the 2023 World Press Freedom Index from 60 in 2022 to 62 in 2023.