The Bank of Ghana has engaged journalists from four regions, with a call on them to examine the human impact of economic data and disseminate same to the populace for informed decisions.
The Communications Director of the Bank of Ghana (BOG), Dr Bernard Otabil, who made the call said "numbers alone do not tell the full story. Behind every statistic are people, livelihoods and businesses,” adding that journalists must explore how such data impact the people.
"The role of the media is to explain how policy decisions affect access to credit, the cost of doing business, employment and household welfare," Dr Otabil stated.
The three-day media capacity-building programme held at Koforidua in the Eastern Region was to, among others, open up greater communication avenues for its policies to be effectively communicated to the communities.
The participants, including journalists and other media practitioners, were drawn from the Eastern, Ashanti, Volta and Central regions to deepen their understanding in monetary policy, financial markets, banking sector developments and responsible economic reporting, among others.
Dr Bernard Otabil advised journalists and other media practitioners to go beyond reporting economic challenges by highlighting opportunities emerging in key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and exports and to refrain from rushing to publish unconfirmed stories, particularly on economic issues.
Topics
Participants were taken through topics which included understanding the ethics of media reporting, mandate and regulatory role of Bank of Ghana, understanding monetary policy committee statements submissions by members and understanding inflation dynamics among others.
Dr Otabil advised participants to provide factual, accurate and balanced reportage, and to be circumspect in their approach to stories they publish saying it was worth delaying a story in order to get it done right without any problems later.
The programme, he indicated formed part of the BOG's efforts to ensure that the media accurately interpreted and reported on economic issues, monetary policy decisions as well as their implications.
He urged journalists to understand the policies governing the operations of the BOG effectively enhance public understanding of economic policies stressing that misinformation as well as inaccurate reporting could have far-reaching consequences for the economy.
Informed decisions
He expressed the hope that the programme would equip journalists with the tools required to report economic issues more effectively, enabling citizens to make informed decisions while strengthening trust in public institutions.
The Eastern Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association, Stephen Ampem Darko Koranteng, stated that although the general public did not read the monetary policy report of BOG, they read media headlines to take decision, adding that it was imperative for journalists to educate them to understand the issues.
