Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah

Government protests CNN documentary on child labour - Parties agree to collaborate on sequel

Mabel Faith Tannor Mar - 04 - 2019 , 11:58

Ghana has protested a Cable News Network (CNN) documentary for its poor reflection of efforts by the government to address the detestable practice of child labour on the Volta Lake.

CNN in the past week has been airing a documentary which highlights the history and impact of the practice but does not highlight the efforts by the government in addressing the situation.

Successes unreported

A statement issued in Accra yesterday by the Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said: “The government on Friday protested the documentary and the fact that it fails to highlight efforts in addressing the situation.”

The statement said Mr Oppong Nkrumah, in a telephone conversation and a subsequent letter to the CNN, said “while GoG acknowledges the practice, it has worked in the last decade to curb it leading to significant successes.”

It said the government and the CNN had agreed to collaborate on a sequel highlighting government’s efforts to eradicate cases of child labour on the lake.

According to the statement, CNN, through its producer and Executive Editor, Leif Coorlim, said the state had been given an opportunity in the documentary to update on its efforts to resolve the challenge but was willing to offer a more comprehensive platform to outline the resolution of the practice.

Sequel

The statement noted that the documentary featured an Assembly Member of the Krachi West District in the Volta Region, Prince Latif Oyekunle, who said “government is aware of the problem and is working on strategies to rescue the children from their masters.”

“We have not started implementation yet but we have discussed it at the executive committee meeting and at some general assembly meetings,” the statement said.

It added that ahead of the sequel, CNN had agreed to grant the Government of Ghana a platform to respond to the suppositions in the documentary.