Kwaku Asante, Author at Media Foundation For West Africa

Freedom of expression: The mass prison, graveyard that Senegal has become

Free Expression ViolationsAug 25, 20231KViews 0Likes 0Comments

Since March 2021 when Senegal’s opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, was accused of raping a masseuse, the build-up to his eventual conviction for corruption on June 1, 2023, has been punctuated with arrests and deaths. Thus far, at least nine people have died from ongoing political unrest while some 700 have been arrested or imprisoned. But…

Here’s how social media activist Rokia Doumbia’s detention defines the siege on free expression in Mali

Free Expression Violations, Press Freedom, Safety of JournalistsAug 15, 20232KViews 0Likes 0Comments

On August 2, 2023, the Court of Commune IV in the Malian capital, Bamako, sentenced the activist and social media influencer, Rokia Doumbia, also known as #Madame vie chère, to one year in prison in the continuing crackdown on critical voices in the troubled country. The court also hit Doumbia with a fine of one…

Nigerian authorities must ensure justice for Journalist Pelumi Onifade

Safety of JournalistsJul 27, 20231KViews 0Likes 0Comments

Today, July 27, 2023, marks exactly the 1000th day since the body of Pelumi Onifade, a 20-year-old reporter with Gboah TV, was discovered in a morgue at Ikorodu Lagos. The discovery of his body on October 30, 2020, brought a chilling end to days of search by Onifade’s family, friends and colleagues after he was…

Here’s why Nigeria’s improved press freedom ranking is insignificant

Press FreedomJul 26, 20232KViews 0Likes 0Comments

The 2023 press freedom rankings by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) saw Nigeria “improve” six places over its previous ranking in 2022; in one of the most curious dynamics of the latest index. In what highlights the paradox of Nigeria’s positive ranking, the RSF did not spare the selfsame Nigeria a scathing review. “Nigeria is one…

Our impact: Accountability journalism causes shutdown of unlicenced sachet water company

Investigative JournalismJul 19, 20231KViews 0Likes 0Comments

The authorities in Ghana have been prodded to work once more by an investigative story by The Fourth Estate, an accountability journalism project of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA). Following the publication of a story that exposed a black market of unregistered sachet water producers in Accra, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA)…

Call for Application: Digital Public Infrastructure Journalism Fellowship

Digital RightsJul 18, 20232KViews 0Likes 0Comments

Governments in Africa are increasingly investing in digitilisation to transform their economies and facilitate public service delivery. In line with this, many countries have developed national plans and strategies to guide the deployment and governance of digital public infrastructure (DPI) and digital public goods (DPGs) and services. Despite the growing adoption of DPI and DPGs…

Assessing the media’s role in Ghana’s 30-year democratic journey

Media and Good GovernanceJul 10, 20234KViews 0Likes 0Comments

The speech below was delivered by the Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah, when he spoke at the Change Speakers Forum V on July 8, 2023, held by Accra-based Joy FM on the theme: Media and National Development: Premise, Promise, Practice. In the speech, he evaluated the role of the media since Ghana returned to its Fourth Republic…

Nigeria’s elections drive increase in freedom of expression violations in 2023 first quarter

.Jul 3, 20231KViews 0Likes 0Comments

A total of 55 incidents of Freedom of Expression (FoE) violations were recorded during the period under review (January-March 2023). The figure is a jaw-dropping 160% increase over that of the previous quarter (October-December 2022) which stood at 21. Nigeria recorded thirty-one (31) violations, 25 violations more than the second on the list, Niger, which…

Call for application: Next Generation Investigative Journalism Fellowship 2023

Investigative Journalism, Journalism for ChangeJun 26, 20234KViews 0Likes 0Comments

Are you a young journalist or a fresh journalism graduate based in Ghana who seeks to specialise in critical, fact-based, in-depth, and investigative reporting on tax justice, domestic resource mobilisation and illicit financial flows? Then here is an exceptional opportunity for you. The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) invites applications for the 3RD edition…

Towards democratic consolidation in West Africa: Sierra Leone decides in 2023 Elections

Media and Good GovernanceJun 21, 20231KViews 0Likes 0Comments

On Saturday, June 24, Sierra Leoneans will go to the polls to elect a new president and members of parliament. This will mark the country’s fifth consecutive presidential elections since the end of the brutal 11-year civil war – more than two decades ago – which left many dead. About 3.4 million people have registered…

How we empowered voices to demand accountability in 2022

Media and Good GovernanceJun 21, 2023898Views 0Likes 0Comments

West Africa is rich in resources but often saddled with poverty and political instability as a result of mismanagement and unequal distribution of resources. Active participation in governance processes by the public is one of the sure ways of whipping duty-bearers in line and keeping them on their toes to ensure better utilization of state…

Stakeholders denounce hate speech but warn against hasty counter legislation

.Jun 20, 20232KViews 0Likes 0Comments

Stakeholders at a public forum in Accra have urged the Ghana government to hasten slowly in its bid to criminalize hate speech. After hours of deliberation, it was agreed that hate speech is purveying national discourse and the phenomenon poses a threat to the country’s democracy. However, the consensus was that legislating it would be…

Author page: Kwaku Asante

Kwaku Asante