President John Dramani Mahama has urged his ministers and other public officials to account for delays in government projects and provide journalists with clear answers on how public funds are spent.
Speaking at the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards in Accra last Saturday, the President said public officials must be open about delays, explain the reasons behind stalled projects and tell affected communities when work is expected to resume or be completed.
“A reporter who is asking how public money has been spent should receive a clear answer,” he said, adding that supporting records should be provided where disclosure was required.
That is a powerful statement. It is also a test.
Ghana has heard fine speeches about accountability before.
What Ghana has not always seen is the follow-through. President Mahama said the right of access to information was meaningful only when public officials responded appropriately to requests for information. He is absolutely right.
We passed the Right to Information Act in 2019 after decades of struggle.
On paper, Ghana has one of the best access laws in Africa. In practice, too many public institutions treat it as an inconvenience.
Requests are ignored.
Deadlines are missed.
Fees are inflated.
Information officers are absent, untrained, or powerless.
Journalists are told to “write to Accra”, to “come back next week”, to “see the boss who is travelling”.
The President must now ask: Why is this still happening under a government that says it believes in openness?
Too often, officials hide behind silence.
Silence breeds suspicion.
Suspicion breeds rumour.
Rumour breeds the very scandals the President warned against.
President Mahama, having served both as someone who asked questions and as a person required to answer them, said he understood the importance of allowing public officials to be questioned.
He said the government’s respect for press freedom was best demonstrated “when it is asked a question it would rather avoid”.
That is the truest line of the night.
Press freedom is not tested when journalists praise government.
It is tested when they criticise it.
It is tested when they ask about a contract awarded to a friend of a minister.
When they ask about a procurement that did not follow procedure.
When they ask about a project that has consumed millions with nothing to show.
But the President also had a word of caution, and it deserves to be heard fairly.
He cautioned against deliberate attempts to manufacture scandals.
He said such practices distracted from the business of serving the people.
He is right, too. Journalism is not activism by other means. It is not the art of creating a scandal where none exists.
At the Daily Graphic, we agree that the same standards of evidence must apply to everyone — government, opposition, and other people seeking to influence the public.
A headline is not evidence.
A social media post is not evidence.
An anonymous voice note is not evidence.
A claim that a minister is corrupt must be proved with documents, with figures, with a right of reply, with context.
In the digital age — the theme of this year’s awards — the temptation to publish first and verify later is enormous.
Hate speech, misinformation, and manufactured outrage spread faster than truth.
The GJA’s focus on combating hate speech is timely.
When journalists lower their standards, they do not just damage a person.
They damage the credibility of the entire profession, and they make it easier for those who want to silence the press to justify doing so.
Professionalism is the best protection for press freedom.
That said, we must be clear: the burden of professionalism does not fall on journalists alone. It falls first on those who hold power and public money.
So, Mr President, here is what we ask: we want in writing, with consequences, that all ministers, deputy ministers, chief directors, MMDCEs, and heads of agencies must respond to media and RTI requests within the time stipulated by law.
No more silence.
No more “come back tomorrow”.
he GJA Awards night celebrated excellence.
Excellence in journalism is not just beautiful writing or brave reporting.
It is the daily, often tedious work of asking for a document, checking a figure, visiting a stalled site, and insisting on an answer.
Excellence in governance is similar.
It is not just a good speech on awards night.
It is the daily work of answering the difficult question.
President Mahama has set the standard.
On Saturday, he said the right words.
Now, his appointees must live them.
Ghana will be watching — and so will we.
