70 Media Houses Join MFWA to Demand Whereabouts of Media Dev’t Fund

Dozens of media organisations across the country have joined the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), to demand information on the whereabouts of the Gh¢1million that was allocated in the 2012 budget as Media Development Fund (MDF).

The media organisations, majority of whom are based in districts where advertising and other sources of media revenue are literally absent, are calling on the government to honour its transparency and accountability obligations by letting Ghanaians, and the media community in particular, know the status of the fund.

 On September 9, 2011, then Vice President (and now President) John Mahama announced government’s plans to set up a Media Development Fund (MDF). The President made the announcement while addressing the 16^th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) awards as the guest of honour.

Following the announcement, the then Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, in his presentation of the 2012 budget to parliament, announced that Gh¢1million has been allocated to the Fund.

Subsequently, in March 2012, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa, then a Deputy Minister of Information, announced that the Gh¢1million MDF was ready and would be operational in the second quarter of 2012.  In his State of the Nation on February 21, 2013, President Mahama told the nation that: “The newly established Media Development Fund aimed at improving capacity within the media will be operationalised this year.”  It was evident from the president’s statement that the MDF was not operationalised in 2012.

Nine months after President Mahama’s promise and with just a month to the end of 2013, there is no evidence of the operationalisation of the Fund. Following a media release by the MFWA on October 24, raising questions about the whereabouts of the  Gh¢1million MDF, it emerged that all the key media stakeholders in the country including the national Media Commission, Ghana Journalists Association, Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association are all unaware of what has happened to the Fund.

While there are pieces of information suggesting disagreements among stakeholders on how the fund should be managed, there has been silence on the fate of the Fund and whether or not there have been any disbursements.

Below are media organisations that have joined the crusade to demand information and accountability on the fund. The MFWA is calling on other media organisations to indicate their support for this campaign by indicating their endorsement through an email to [email protected]

Greater Accra Region

1. The Enquirer
2. Asempa FM
3. Adom FM
4. The Lens
5. Net 2
6. Oman FM
7. Hot FM
8. The Statesman
9. TV Africa
10. Daily Guide
11. Guide Young Blazers
12. News One
13. New Crusading Guide
14. Ghanaian Observer
15. The New Independent
16. The Chronicle
17. Spy Ghana.com
18. com

Volta Region

19. Radio Jubilee
20. Faafa FM
21. Holy FM

Eastern Region

22. Eastern FM
23. Rite FM
24. Life FM

Western Region

25. De Beat FM
26. Space FM
27. Kasapreko FM
28. Radio Rainbow
29. Golden Pod FM

Central Region

30. Ankobra FM
31. Yes FM
32. Radio ATL
33. Spark FM
34. Radio Peace
35. Hope FM

Ashanti region

36. Radio Xtacy
37. Freedom FM
38. Kessben FM
39. Spirit FM
40. Shaft FM
41. Metro FM
42. Sunsum FM
43. Fox FM

Brong Ahafo

44. Success FM
45. Adars FM
46. Dormaa Community Radio
47. Vizen FM
48. Chris FM
49. Sky FM
50. Trickie FM
51. Adepa FM
52. Royals FM
53. Asta FM
54. Omega Radio
55. Yankee FM
56. Max FM
57. Shalom Radio

Northern Region

58. Diamond FM
59. Justice FM
60. Bishara Radio
61. Kesmi FM
62. North Star Radio
63. Filla FM

Upper East Region

64. Word FM
65. Radio Builsa
66. Tanga Radio
67. Nabiina Community Radio
68. A1 Radio
69. Quality FM

Upper West Region

70. Radford FM

Issued by the MFWA in Accra on December 11, 2013