Ghana media development fund: strict rules demanded
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 3News
Regulators, press freedom advocates and MPs are calling for strict governance rules for Ghana’s GH¢10 million fund, reactivated by the government. According to JoyNews, they fear political interference, as previous programmes failed for lack of transparency.
Media regulators, press freedom advocates and MPs are calling for strict governance rules and independent oversight of the GH¢10 million media development fund that the government has reactivated, in order to prevent any political interference. The fund is to finance social protection and journalist safety programmes, training, investigative journalism and digital education.
Kwaku Krobea Asante, programme manager at the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), believes the fund’s credibility will depend on clear eligibility criteria and legal safeguards. He recalls that a GH¢1 million allocation in 2013 was used to buy laptops for newsrooms, without published rules for selection or purchase.
George Sarpong, executive secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC), proposes linking grants to verifiable output, using an index of coverage of agriculture, maternal health and child welfare, based on the Credibility Measurement Index (CMI) the commission had designed. He also considers that a bureaucracy around the fund would not be the best solution.
Kenneth Ashigbey, former head of the Graphic Communications group, warns against "charlatans", risks linked to licences and partisan pressure. These demands are part of the debate opened after President Mahama announced the 10 million cedi fund.
