Are you a Ghanaian journalist eager to uncover how the country is losing money through illicit means? The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has an opportunity for you to make a difference.
Every year, Ghana loses billions of cedis through Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs). IFFs are monies that are illegally earned, transferred, or hidden across borders. These losses often come from tax evasion, corruption, illegal mining, smuggling, and shady business deals.
The impact of IFFs is huge. It diverts funds meant for the construction of schools, hospitals, roads and other essential services that are crucial for the improvement of the quality of life.
However, high-quality and impactful journalism can play a critical role in exposing these hidden financial crimes and contribute to holding the powerful people and institutions accountable.
With funding support from Oxfam in Ghana, MFWA is strengthening the social contract on Domestic Revenue Mobilisation (DRM) and fiscal justice through the media and collaboration with investigative financial journalists.
Following the approved activities under the project titled Tax for Development: Strengthening Civil Society and Media for Fiscal Justice, the MFWA is inviting applications for the 6th edition of the Next Generation Investigative Journalism (NGIJ) Fellowship.
This three-month, fully fundedresidential program will equip 20 selected journalists with hands-on training in investigative journalism, focusing on tax justice, domestic resource mobilis ation, and IFFs.
The MFWA is seeking experienced consultants to provide high-quality photography and videography services to document project activities, milestones, and impact. The selected consultant will capture compelling visual content, produce short videos optimized for social media, and ensure all materials align with the project’s branding guidelines.
Expressions of interest should be sent to applications[at]mfwa.org copying daniel[at]mfwa.org on or before Sunday, March 23, 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Update: The deadline for this call for applications has been extended to Friday, March 28, 2025.
The MFWA, in partnership with Reporters sans Frontières and Fondation Hirondelle, invites proposals for media and advocacy initiatives in Guinea-Bissau.
We seek media production houses, communication experts, community theatre groups, radio stations, and media literacy trainers to undertake:
Radio and audio production
Multimedia content creation
Capacity-building training
Community drama and advocacy
Stakeholder engagement forums
These activities will support our 18-month EU-funded project, “Promote and Protect Democracy by Safeguarding Freedom of Opinion and Expression and Combating Mis/Disinformation in Guinea-Bissau.”
All applications should be sent to applications [@]mfwa.org with a copy to daniel [@] mfwa.org on or before Sunday, March 23, 2025. However, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the process may close once a suitable candidate is selected. Both local and international consultants are eligible to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Update: The deadline for this call for applications has been extended to Friday, March 28, 2025.
The MFWA, in partnership with Reporters sans Frontières and Fondation Hirondelle, invites experienced consultants to develop a model safety policy for journalists in Guinea-Bissau for our 18-month EU funded project titled “Promote and Protect Democracy by Safeguarding Freedom of Opinion and Expression and Combating Mis/Disinformation in Guinea-Bissau.”
The expression of interest should be sent to applications[at]mfwa.org copying daniel[at]mfwa.org on or before Sunday, March 16, 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Update: The deadline for this call for applications has been extended to Friday, March 28, 2025.
Chamada para Consultores: Desenvolvimento de um modelo de política de segurança para jornalistas na Guiné-Bissau
A MFWA, em parceria com a Repórteres sem Fronteira e a Fondation Hirondelle, convida consultores experientes para desenvolver um modelo de política de segurança para jornalistas na Guiné-Bissau no âmbito do nosso projeto de 18 meses financiado União Europeia intitulado “Promover e Proteger a Democracia ao Salvaguardar a Liberdade de Opinião e Expressão e Combater a Mis/Desinformação na Guiné-Bissau.”
Para mais informações, aceda aos Termos de Referência completos aqui.
A manifestação de interesse deve ser enviada para applications[@]mfwa.org copiando daniel[@]mfwa.org até Domingo, 16 de março de 2025.
Apenas os candidatos pré-selecionados serão contactados.
The MFWA, in partnership with Reporters sans Frontières and Fondation Hirondelle, invites experienced consultants to conduct an analysis of ethical standards and professionalism across media platforms in Guinea-Bissau for our 18-month EU funded project titled “Promote and Protect Democracy by Safeguarding Freedom of Opinion and Expression and Combating Mis/Disinformation in Guinea-Bissau.”
The expression of interest should be sent to applications[at]mfwa.org copying daniel[at]mfwa.org on or before Sunday, March 16, 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Update: The deadline for this call for applications has been extended to Friday, March 28, 2025.
Chamada para Consultores: Análise dos Padrões Éticos e Profissionalismo nos Meios de Comunicação na Guiné-Bissau
A MFWA, em parceria com a Repórteres sem Fronteira e a Fondation Hirondelle, convida consultores experientes a fazer a análise dos padrões éticos e profissionalismo nos meios de comunicação na Guiné-Bissau no âmbito do nosso projeto de 18 meses financiado União Europeia intitulado “Promover e Proteger a Democracia ao Salvaguardar a Liberdade de Opinião e Expressão e Combater a Mis/Desinformação na Guiné-Bissau.”
Para mais informações, aceda aos Termos de Referência completos aqui.
A manifestação de interesse deve ser enviada para applications[@]mfwa.org copiando daniel[@]mfwa.org até Domingo, 16 de março de 2025.
Apenas os candidatos pré-selecionados serão contactados.
The MFWA, in partnership with Reporters sans Frontières and Fondation Hirondelle, invites experienced consultants to conduct a review, update, production and dissemination of media code of ethics in Guinea-Bissau for our 18-month EU funded project titled “Promote and Protect Democracy by Safeguarding Freedom of Opinion and Expression and Combating Mis/Disinformation in Guinea-Bissau.”
The expression of interest should be sent to applications[at]mfwa.org copying daniel[at]mfwa.org on or before Sunday, March 16, 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Update: The deadline for this call for applications has been extended to Friday, March 28, 2025.
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Chamada para Consultores: Revisão, atualização, produção e difusão do código deontológico dos meios de comunicação social na Guiné-Bissau
A MFWA, em parceria com a Repórteres sem Fronteira e a Fondation Hirondelle, convida consultores experientes a fazer a revisão, atualização, produção e difusão do código deontológico dos meios de comunicação social na Guiné-Bissau no âmbito do nosso projeto de 18 meses financiado União Europeia intitulado “Promover e Proteger a Democracia ao Salvaguardar a Liberdade de Opinião e Expressão e Combater a Mis/Desinformação na Guiné-Bissau.”
Para mais informações, aceda aos Termos de Referência completos aqui.
A manifestação de interesse deve ser enviada para applications[@]mfwa.org copiando daniel[@]mfwa.org até Domingo, 16 de março de 2025.
Apenas os candidatos pré-selecionados serão contactados.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is inviting applications from journalists in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo to apply for story grants to produce quality indepth and impactful stories on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Digital Public Goods and Services.
The story grants form part of the support being extended to journalists in the four target countries (Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo) to produce impactful stories under the second phase of its Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Journalism Fellowship. The application is open to all journalists in the four countries, including the current DPI Fellows, DPI Journalism Fellowship Alumni and all journalists irrespective of media genre.
About the Digital Public Infrastructure Journalism Fellowship
The Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Journalism Fellowship, is a project of the MFWA, with funding support from, and in partnership with Co-Develop. The project seeks to empower media professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute effectively to the evolving digital landscape, ensuring that the benefits of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Digital Public Goods (DPGs) are widely understood and leveraged across West Africa. Specifically, the project trains journalists who are competitively selected across the region on the concepts of DPI/DPGs through a three- to six-month fellowship. The trainings prepare the beneficiaries to better understand and produce stories that elevate public awareness, stimulate debates, foster inclusivity, and encourage participation and uptake of DPI/DPGs issues across West Africa.
Under phase one of the project, 20 journalists from 10 countries in the region benefited from the Fellowship and improved media coverage and broadened public discourse on DPI/DPGs through the production of over 100 stories. Most of the published stories resulted in reactions from some government institutions and state actors in the focused countries aimed at addressing the issues highlighted in the reports.
Building on the achievements and gains from the first phase, the second phase seeks to further enhance the capacity and skills of beneficiary journalists to enable them do in-depth reporting on DPI/DPGs. The project is designed to target 60 journalists from four countries, Benin, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria. The Fellowship will run for six months – three months of intensive trainings (virtual and in-person) from November 1, 2024, to January 30, 2025, and the following three months (February-April 2025) for story development and periodic peer-learning sessions.
The application for story production grants is open to past and present DPI Journalism Fellows from Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo.
Eligibility
Must be a journalist working in one of the four project countries – Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo
Must have a story idea on DPI/DPGs that have the potential to improve awareness; spark public and policy debates; and/or result in actions; statements or commitments from relevant stakeholders.
Must have a track record of producing impactful stories
Must have a letter of support from the journalist’s media house confirming the media outlet’s agreement to publish the stories that will be produced from the story grant
Areas of Interest
The DPI/DPGs stories that will qualify for grants must cover any of the areas outlined below:
Educational/sensitization stories or documentaries about DPI/DPGs and their importance
DPI and instant payment systems
Collaboration between digital payment platforms and central banks – platforms, successes, challenges areas of improvement
DPI/DPGs and issues of data protection, cybersecurity and fraud especially in digital payment sector
How DPI/DPGs are facilitating financial inclusion
DPI and mobile money – deployment, rollout, inclusions, challenges and related issues
Country-level comparative analyses about DPI/DPGs rollout – fees, successes, challenges, lessons, areas of collaboration, etc.
Implications of taxes on instant payment systems and implication on financial inclusion
Data exchange platforms and security issues
Implementation of inclusion and safeguards in DPI/DPG deployment
Demonstration of DPI/DPGs progress in the respective countries through case studies
Educational/sensitization stories about the Universal Safeguards Framework
Showcasing the economic value in the deployment of DPI/DPGs
Procurement issues around DPI
Other DPI/DPGs issues not mentioned above
Story Format
Stories can be in the form of print (newspapers and online) and/or broadcast (radio or television). Documentaries are encouraged.
How to apply
Share your story pitch(es) on this form. The pitch must provide an idea about the topic and the story, the approach, possible sources for the story, and most importantly, the expected impact.
Provide a budget for the story production with some details about the budget items
Upload a signed consent letter from your media house
Confirm your willingness to work with the DPI Journalism Fellowship Editors on your story
Submit your application
Value of story grant
On the average, each story shall be entitled to an amount of USD300. The amount may be more or less depending on the story and its anticipated impact.
Application timeline
Applications will be assessed on rolling basis. Timeline for first set of grants: March 20, 2025.
Need additional information?
Kindly contact Vivian Affoah viavivian[@]mfwa.org or Paul Kofi Gozo via paul[@]mfwa.org with your English enquiries; and Delali Jean-Daniel Dessouassi via delali[@]mfwa.org with your French enquiries.
The MFWA, in partnership with Reporters sans Frontières and Fondation Hirondelle, invites experienced consultants to conduct a comprehensive baseline study for our 18-month EU funded project titled “Promote and Protect Democracy by Safeguarding Freedom of Opinion and Expression and Combating Mis/Disinformation in Guinea-Bissau.”
The expression of interest should be sent to applications[at]mfwa.org copying daniel[at]mfwa.org on or before February 28, 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Update: The deadline for this call for applications has been extended to Friday, March 28, 2025.
Chamada para Consultores: estudo de linha de base sobre a liberdade de imprensa na Guiné-Bissau
A MFWA, em parceria com a Repórteres sem Fronteira e a Fondation Hirondelle, convida
consultores experientes a realizar um estudo de linha de base abrangente para o nosso
projeto de 18 meses financiado União Europeia intitulado “Promover e Proteger a
Democracia ao Salvaguardar a Liberdade de Opinião e Expressão e Combater a
Mis/Desinformação na Guiné-Bissau.”
Para mais informações, aceda aos Termos de Referência completos aqui.
A manifestação de interesse deve ser enviada para applications [@] mfwa.org copiando
daniel [@ ] mfwa.org até 28 de fevereiro de 2025. Apenas os candidatos pré-selecionados
serão contactados.
Are you a journalist who reports on financial, business, or economic issues in Ghana?
Are you interested in acquiring knowledge on how to report on revenue mobilisation and illicit financial flows?
Here’s a unique opportunity for you!
The Media Foundation for West Africa with funding support from the Thomson Reuters
Foundation is organizing a 5-day residential capacity-building workshop on Illicit
Financial Flows for Journalists in Ghana. The workshop will capacitate successful journalists with knowledge and skillsets as well as resources to expose IFFs and tax manipulations and report on the wide-ranging gaps in taxation, raising public awareness, informing decisions and holding those to power in account.
Target Beneficiaries
Journalists who report on financial, business, and economic issues.
Approach
The training workshop will combine theory and practice as a delivery method.
Beneficiaries will take part in individual as well as group assignments and presentations.
Accommodation, Meals and Transportation will be covered for participants
Application Process and Deadline:
Interested applicants should click here to apply
Application deadline is February 28, 2025
***Female reporters are encouraged to apply. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted***
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Dubawa, FactSpace West Africa and other civil society organisations working on information hygiene, integrity and resilience in Ghana have formed the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition.
The Coalition has been convened ahead of Ghana’s 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections to mount a joint, collaborative and coordinated effort to mitigate the menacing threat misinformation and disinformation pose to the country’s peace, stability and democratic consolidation.
The 2024 Global Risk Report identified misinformation and disinformation as the key critical risks anticipated to unfold in numerous countries across the world over the next two years. The report emphasised that the spread of misinformation and disinformation, especially during elections, could significantly disrupt the genuine and perceived legitimacy of newly elected governments, potentially leading to political turmoil, violence, terrorism, and a gradual deterioration of democratic procedures in the long run.
Activities and processes around the 2024 general elections in Ghana have so far generated enormous false and polarising narratives that can influence the peaceful outcomes of the polls.
The Coalition is, therefore, harnessing the capacities, strength and resources of the members while leveraging their credibility to produce timely, relevant and well-researched fact-check reports during the periods of the 2024 elections.
The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition primarily comprises Ghana’s three main fact-checking organisations that are signatories with the International Fact-checking Network: Fact-Check Ghana (Media Foundation for West Africa), Dubawa Ghana (Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development) and Ghana Fact (FactSpace West Africa). The Coalition is also working with many prominent civil society organisations including Africa Check, Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Penplusbyte, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and Digital Africa Research Lab.
From December 4-11, 2024, the Ghana Fact-checking Coalition will run Media Situation Rooms in Accra and Tamale dedicated to spotting and debunking misinformation disinformation and other harmful narratives related to the elections that may emerge on both online and offline platforms across the country.
The Coalition is also working with about 50 journalists and over 100 media houses across the country who broadcast or publish in about 45 Ghanaian languages. These journalists and media houses will serve as partners who will republish reports produced by the Media Situation Room and as well verify information about the election activities in their regions and communities.
“We are excited to kick off this coalition after many months of discussions. This is the best time for us to come together and collaborate to push back against mis/disinformation and polarising narratives that portend danger for Ghana’s democracy. We are hoping our collective work can contribute to a peaceful and credible election,” said Kwaku Krobea Asante, Lead Fact-checker and Senior Programme Officer at the MFWA.
“Creating a united front among fact-checkers, the media and civil society groups like this is one of the best ways to counter the threats from disinformation purveyors and people with malign interests who want to use information to disrupt the credibility of Ghana’s election and democracy. We are happy this has come off,” said Rabiu Alhassan, Director of FactSpace West Africa.
“Having participated and witnessed such coalitions across West Africa, we are very delighted that we have been able to come together for this coalition. We are looking forward to making a positive impact on the elections,” said Roselena Ahiable, Programme Manager of Dubawa.
The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition has been convened with funding support from the US Embassy in Ghana and Google News Initiative. UK-based Full Fact has also provided access to its Full Fact AI platform to assist members of the Coalition to monitor and counter disinformation.
In response to the persistent trend of legal harassment against journalists and civic activists in West Africa, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has put together a network of defence lawyers to provide timely and effective legal assistance to victims. A total of 14 lawyers from 11 West African countries are now available on call to defend and protect journalists and activists who come under harassment over their work.
Known as the West Africa Network of Activists and Media Defense Lawyers (WANAMDEL), the group was officially inaugurated in Accra, on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, with 12 out of the 14 lawyers in attendance. In all, the network has lawyers from Senegal, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, The Gambia and Ghana. participating as pro bono legal beagles.
The 12 lawyers present at the inauguration are Moussa Sarr (Senegal), Thérèse Donu (Togo), Sarnyenneh M. Dickson (Liberia), Paul Kamara (Sierra Leone), Salifou Béavogui (Guinea) Mojirayo Oluwatoyin Ogulano and Gloria Mabeian Ballason (both from Nigeria). The rest are Dogbemin Kone (Côte d’Ivoire), Houssou Brice (Bénin) Nenneh M.C. Cham (The Gambia) and Samson Lardy Anyenini and Zakaria Tanko (l both from Ghana). A third Ghanaian and a member of the Network, Martin Kpebu, was however unable to attend the inaugural ceremony.
These lawyers, who are already on the ground defending journalists and activists in their various countries, will now provide their legal services in a coordinated manner with financial and material support from the MFWA.
The inauguration of WANAMDEL was done as part of a forum that was held under the theme: Countering Legal Obstacles to Media Freedom, Civic Expression and the fight against Impunity: Challenges and Prospects.
Dr Joseph Whittal, Ghana’s Commissioner of CHRAJ, was Chairman of the forum
The Forum served as a platform for some 150 stakeholders, including activists, civil society representatives, journalists and legal experts to deliberate on the ongoing constriction of the civic space in West Africa and strategise on effective mechanisms to counter the repression. The participants highlighted the worsening legal harassment of journalists and activists as a major threat to inclusive, accountable and democratic governance in West Africa.
The forum was chaired by Dr. Joseph Whittal, Commissioner of Ghana’s Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice. It featured addresses and a presentation by leading experts in human rights, democracy and law.
No more legal intimidation shall be countenanced
Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the MFWA delivering the welcome address
Opening the forum, The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) Mr. Sulemana Braimah, emphasised that the decision to form WANAMDEL was motivated by the incessant, unrelenting and worsening trend of legal harassment against journalists and activists. The inauguration of the network, he said, should therefore be a sign to the powerful who brandish the law to bully and harass critical journalists that such intimidation will no longer be countenanced.
“With the presence of this network and their activities, let those who seek to exploit the inability of journalists to hire the services of lawyers for their defense to be well-informed that from now on things have changed. Let it be clear that from today, if journalists and activists are arbitrarily abused, as has been the case all the time, the legal response shall be swift and robust,” Mr Braimah said.
He added, “Let it also be known, that from today, if the powerful in society seek to intimidate journalists and activists with empty legal threats, just to cow people into submission as they have always been doing, we will collectively respond by saying, “see you in court.”
Mr Braimah lamented the escalation of the repression to targeted those who are fighting to reverse environmental degradation. “At a time when combatting climate change and environmental conservation has become a global priority, we are witnessing increasing violence, repression and intimidation against environmental journalists in particular and other environmental activists in our region. These developments do not just undermine democracy they impede progress towards sustainable peace and development and worsen the plight of the marginalized in society.”
Worsening legal harassment consequence of democratic backslide
A cross-section of participants
He lamented that the legal harassment against journalists and activists is a consequence of ongoing democratic recession in West Africa, which has been underlined by the plunge of Mali, Niger, Burkin Faso and Guinea Bissau back into military rule. He said there is a rise in authoritarianism, with even countries that hitherto were beacons of democracy (such as Ghana, Senegal and Benin) also slipping into despotism.
“At the heart of the democratic backsliding in West Africa is the growing repression of civic voices, shrinking civic spaces, suppression of media freedoms, violence against journalists and impunity for crimes against journalists. We are also witnessing an increasing resort to SLAPP suits where big corporates and the powerful in society who can easily resort to the services of lawyers will just resort to judicial mechanisms to intimidate and sometimes harass activists and journalists.”
“If left unchecked, the ongoing repression of civic spaces, repression against journalists and activists, and the growing impunity for crimes against activists and journalists will not only worsen the ongoing democratic relapse in West Africa but also jeopardize our collective progress and potentially take all of us and our countries back to military rule,” Mr. Braimahsaid.
Cybercrime laws now weaponized against activists
Lawyer Femi Falana
Former President of the West Africa Bar Association (WABA) Mr. Femi Falana delivered the keynote address in which he highlighted the new worrying trend whereby authorities in West African countries are weaponizing cybercrime laws against journalists and activists. He said, this trend presents a new front for ongoing attack on democracy and must be fought.
In an address that he gave through a Zoom broadcast, he likened the current tendency for governments to use criminal prosecutions to harass journalists and civic activists to a return to an old colonial tactic in which colonial masters of African countries extensively used sedition to repress dissenting voices.
Mr Falana said the current wave of repression must be fought by collaborative efforts just like past anti-colonial heroes banded together to fight colonialism, adding that the fight cannot be left to NGOs and civil society organizations alone.
Other addresses came from Ghana’s Minister of Information Fatimatu Abubakar, who reassured in a speech read on her behalf that the Ghana government is committed to safeguarding human rights and promoting an open civic space, saying this is demonstrated by the fact that the government is upholding the repeal of the criminal libel law.
Also, in a speech read on her behalf, Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Diana Asonaba Dapaah, who was the special guest of honour, reiterated the government’s commitment to media freedom. While observing that conflict between the media and other institutions and individuals arises from unethical journalism, the Deputy Minister also admitted that in many cases, the response to media offences by state agencies and other entities has been excessive and arbitrary. She therefore pledged her outfit’s commitment to collaborating with the police and the judiciary to ensure more effective protection of journalists. She also urged the media and activists to be responsible and law-abiding in their work.
Mr Muheeb Saeed, Manager of MFWA’s FOE Programme making a presentation
A key highlight of the forum was a presentation on recent trends in West Africa’s freedom of expression landscape based on the MFWA’s monitoring. Making the presentation, Mr Muheeb Saeed, Manager of the MFWA’s Freedom of Expression (FOE) programme, revealed that a total of 257 incidents of violations were recorded in the Region between January 2023 – June 2024. Nigeria, Guinea, Senegal and Burkina Faso were the leading perpetrators of violations.
The presentation also highlighted the findings of six country reports on The Legal Obstacles to Fighting Impunity in West Africa. The reports showed that despite providing constitutional safeguards and subscribing to various international and regional protocols upholding freedom of expression, governments are adopting and manipulating other laws to repress critical opinions in the media and civil society.
The report established that in all the six countries, the law on false publication likely to cause fear and panic is commonly used to attack the media and restrict the civic space. Ghana and Nigeria lead the pack in the exploitation of this law to silence dissent. Nigeria’s cybercrime, criminal defamation under the criminal code and penal code have been used to devastating effect. Defamation and false publication laws have been weaponised also in Togo while the digital code is the nightmare of journalists and activists in Benin.
Cote d’Ivoire’s media regulator, l’Autorite nationale de la presse (l’ANP), is often accused of being a tool for government repression of dissent. It often issues sanctions against media organisations, often for offences against the head of State. In Guinea Bissau, extensive intimidation has led to widespread self-censorship, while the government is exploiting excessive licensing fees to keep the media “obedient. “
It added that the police have played a leading role in the violations, arresting and detaining journalists and activists arbitrarily, often on the orders of powerful persons.
Another important activity at the forum was a panel discussion in which participants, including some of the lawyers of WANAMDEL, deliberated on the deterioration in free expression in the subregion.
Out of the discussion, the following recommendations were made to specific stakeholders:
Governments
Decriminalise defamation in favour of civil remedies to prevent the imprisonment of journalists.
Align press laws with international standards, including provisions for judicial oversight of surveillance on suspected activists. The government of Nigeria in particular should take further steps to review the Cybercrime Law
Strengthen the independence of media regulators to ensure fair and unbiased oversight.
Provide tax incentives and financial support to ease financial pressure on the media
Ensure that security officers who violate press freedom are held to account
Liaise with the courts to ensure fair and expeditious adjudication of cases of violation against the media
Set up independent Security Agencies t Professional Standards Complaint body to receive and deal with complaints against the security agents
Journalists/Media Organisations
Observe the highest professional standards and ensure quality and impactful output
Establish and observe safety protocols and undergo regular training on the legal frameworks, particularly the criminal code, national security, defamation and public order laws
Media Defence organisations
Increase advocacy for improved environment for media and civil society work
Campaign for the introduction of stronger oversight on government deployment of surveillance technology to protect journalists and activists from abuse by the state
Provide legal support and training on media laws to journalists and activists
Humu-Khrusum Tahiru, a journalist at A1 Radio based in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region of Ghana and a beneficiary of the ‘Equal Voices’ Project, has been adjudged the Best Female Journalist of The Year, 2023 at the third Upper East Region Ghana Journalists Association Awards held in Bolgatanga on September 6, 2024.
The citation presented to her at the awards read as follows: “Your impactful documentary on the challenges facing female aspirants in the District Assembly Elections highlighted the real issue on the ground. Your documentary gave voice to female aspirants in the 2023 District Level Elections in the Upper East Region, highlighting the obstacles they encountered during elections. Your documentary was shown at the time the various political parties were developing their 2024 manifestoes. This made many of these political parties to incorporate issues of female participation in election into their manifestoes. In recognition of this tremendous effort, the Upper East Regional Branch of the Ghana Journalists Association adjudges you as the Best Journalist in Gender Reporting at the 3rd Upper East GJA Awards.”
Humu-Khrusum Tahiru (right) receiving The Best Journalist of The Year award from Gilbert Asante (left) of WaterAid Ghana. Flanked by Humu are some members of Women in Broadcasting in the Upper East Region of Ghana
Aside from emerging as the best female journalist for the region, she also won the best gender journalist award.
Expressing joy over her win, Humu, said, “I am very happy to say that the Equal Voices Project redefined my thoughts and appreciation of gender issues, and that led me to produce a documentary on the challenges that women face in the District Assembly Elections which led to me being adjudged as the gender reporter of the year and also the female journalist of the year.”
She said she was grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Equal Voices project which has made her more informed about gender-related issues and repurposed her journalism.
“I am looking forward to producing more gender-related documentaries here in the Upper East Region that will change the perception and the stereotypes that are associated with women in the Upper East Region,” Humu added.
After receiving her initial capacity training under the project, Humu-Khrusum Tahiru took action to produce a compelling documentary that highlighted the challenges faced by female aspirants in the District Assembly Elections in the Upper East Region.
For her prizes, Humu received a plaque each for the two categories, a brand-new laptop, a citation each and a cash prize.
A1 Radio is one of the four media houses in Ghana benefiting from The Equal Voices Project since its rollout in 2023. The project is implemented by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), in partnership with the French media development agency, Canal France International (CFI), and is aimed at combatting inequalities and stereotypes based on gender while promoting women at all levels of responsibility in Ivorian and Ghanaian societies through gender-aware and gender-sensitive media practices.
Inspired by the knowledge and skills imparted during the maiden gender-sensitive reporting training held in Accra from November 20 – 25, 2023, A1 Radio created a new show called ‘Equal Voices’, which is hosted by Humu-Khrusum Tahiru. Aligned with the goal of the project, the show highlights issues of gender inequalities and the socio-cultural barriers women especially face, and discusses ways to promote women and amplify their contributions, and expertise and champion their development at all levels of society.
Aside from the initiation of the Equal Voices Show, the Management of A1 Radio has also set up a Gender Desk in the newsroom where gender-related stories are produced and fed into the daily news bulletins of the station. Again, the Gender Desk ensures significant inclusion of female voices in the radio station’s flag-shift programmes including Day Break Upper East Show (Morning Show), Critical Issues and Zina Yela shows.
So far, the Equal Voices Project has trained 32 female journalists, including freelancers in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire on women empowerment. They also received training to strengthen their leadership skills to empower and inspire them to pursue professional aspirations and career goals.
