Ghana has been selected to host the 6th Continental Congress of the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ).
This follows the unanimous approval of a bid submitted by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA). Kenya withdrew its bid to support Ghana, which eased past Madagascar in the unanimous decision.
The congress will bring together about 1,000 media practitioners and affiliated journalists’ unions and associations from across Africa to determine the FAJ’s programme and priorities, elect its leadership for the next mandate and engage with solidarity organisations and cooperating partners.
The decision was reached at the end of a two-day FAJ Steering Committee meeting held in Accra from September 17 to 18, this year, where the federation reviewed its continental programmes and discussed challenges confronting journalists and media organisations across Africa.
The selection of Ghana also followed an engagement between the FAJ leadership and President John Dramani Mahama during the delegation’s mission to Accra.
The Accra discussions focused on media freedom, the safety of journalists, information integrity and the role of independent and quality journalism in Africa’s democratic and development agenda.
Press freedom
The FAJ leadership encouraged Ghana to play a leading role in continental efforts to reverse the decline in media freedom and promote a safer environment for journalists.
The Steering Committee meeting assessed attacks on media freedom, violations of journalists’ labour rights and growing economic pressures facing journalists and news media organisations across the continent.
Members examined conditions in specific countries and regions, and stressed the need for concrete action to defend journalists’ rights and safeguard the practice of journalism.
The meeting also received reports on FAJ’s activities and programmes, including those of the Pan-African Gender Council and the Working Group on Climate Change.
Discussions focused on promoting public-interest journalism, increasing the leadership and participation of women journalists and ensuring that gender equality and climate change remained part of the federation’s work.
Interview
Commenting on the selection of Ghana to host Africa’s biggest gathering of journalists, the President of the GJA, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, told the Daily Graphic that the selection demonstrated Ghana's high-profile position on the international media landscape as a beacon of democracy and promoter of press freedom.
“As you all know, this is just one of the many achievements we have achieved in the past four years since we took over the mantle of the leadership of the GJA. You will recall that just about two years ago, we hosted one of the biggest gatherings of the media practitioners, the African Media Convention (AMC). And I can tell you that this feat is bigger than AMC.
It's extremely bigger. We are talking about the Federation of African Journalists,” Mr Dwumfour explained.
FAJ is the Pan-African organisation representing over 150,000 journalists across the continent.
The GJA president believes hosting the continental congress would boost the tourism and hospitality industry of the country and ultimately affect the economy positively.
Mr Dwumfour said it would also place the country once again on the international map and turn attention to the country, as the international press would focus their lenses on Ghana.
“There is going to be observers all over the world. I know the international media community, in terms of the international media institutions, and major media houses such as the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, France 24, are all going to be here, and what an image that would be for Ghana,” he said.
The GJA is working on putting together a local organising committee to put together the three-day congress, likely to take place early February, next year.
Aside from journalists, the committee would include representatives from the office of the Minister of State responsible for Government Communications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Immigration Service.
Mr Dwumfour expressed gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama, who has already thrown his weight behind Ghana hosting the congress and opening his doors to meet the Steering Committee of FAJ.
He also thanked the Minister of State responsible for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, for his immense support, the KGL Group for sponsoring the meeting, and all stakeholders who supported in various ways.
“We are most grateful to all the stakeholders.
This is a win for Ghana media and all Ghanaians; let’s all support and put Ghana on a larger pedestal globally,” the GJA president stated.
The FAJ President, Omar Faruk Osman, said the increasing attacks on journalists, restrictions on press freedoms, violations of labour rights and economic insecurity required a stronger and more organised response from journalists’ unions.
He also cautioned against using misinformation, disinformation, hate speech or the misuse of artificial intelligence as grounds for censorship and greater state control of the media.
Commenting on the outcome of the meeting, Mr Osman said the federation left Accra with renewed determination and a clear direction to address the challenges confronting African journalists.
“We leave Accra with renewed determination, stronger mobilisation and a clear sense of direction.
African journalists are confronting profound changes in their profession, and mounting attacks on their rights, but we refuse to respond with lamentation,” he said.
