ACCRA, Ghana, 11th November: President John Dramani Mahama has welcomed Ghana’s improvement in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, moving from 52nd to 39th position out of 180 countries.
He described the development as encouraging progress and pledged his government’s commitment to working with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to ensure that the country remains a safe environment for journalists to practise their profession.
Speaking at the 30th GJA Media Awards, President Mahama reaffirmed his commitment to protecting media freedom, insisting that journalists must be able to investigate and publish stories without censorship, intimidation or undue interference.
According to him, the constitutional guarantees of freedom and independence of the media remain fundamental to Ghana’s democracy and must be upheld.
He stressed that journalists covering lawful assignments should be able to return safely to their newsrooms, adding that threats, assaults and obstruction of journalists must be investigated promptly and impartially.
The President expressed concern over what he described as the persistent harassment of media personnel by some security officers seeking to project authority.
“Unfortunately, many security personnel seeking to project authority consistently harass media personnel. This is an issue I have discussed with the leadership of the GJA and the commanders of the security agencies,” he said.
He assured journalists that his government would continue to take action whenever media practitioners are unfairly assaulted while performing their professional duties.
President Mahama also remembered investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale, whose killing remains one of the painful reminders of the dangers journalists face in the discharge of their responsibilities.
He said the late journalist’s family deserves justice and that other journalists who receive threats for pursuing sensitive investigations must have confidence that their complaints will be taken seriously by the authorities.
The President further emphasised that the same standards of protection must apply irrespective of the individuals or institutions involved.
He said public officials have a particular responsibility to respect journalists’ rights and ensure that they can perform their duties without intimidation.
The 30th GJA Media Awards was held under the theme: “Celebrating Excellence, Advancing Media Freedom and Combating Hate Speech in the Digital Age.”
LISTEN TO PRESIDENT JOHN MAHAMA IN THE AUDIO BELOW👇:
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️) Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭
