The Media Foundation for West Africa MFWA (MFWA) has read with relief the statement from the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana revoking its controversial restriction on media access to ballots collation centres during the upcoming elections.
According to the signed statement dated November 27, 2024, the electoral body is retreating in order to consult the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) and the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA) to arrive at an arrangement that is both workable and acceptable.
We welcome the EC’s decision as timely and mature, and call on all parties to prioritise the need for orderly, non-discriminatory, comprehensive and transparent media coverage of all stages of the electoral processes.
The decision comes after a huge outcry over the Commission’s earlier (November 26) directive to its regional directors to restrict accreditation to Constituency and Regional collation centres. The directive sought to grant access to only eight media outlets – three television stations with two personnel each and five radio stations, each with one reporter – at the constituency level.
Regarding regional collation centres, the directive granted access to 12 media outlets – five television stations with two personnel each and seven radio stations, each with one reporter. The arrangement was silent on other media types such as newspapers and news websites.
The restriction was rejected as an attempt at censorship and discrimination.
“Since when did media coverage become just radio and television? This action is misguided and should be reversed,” the Executive Director of the MFWA, Sulemana Braimah, said in a media interview.
The MFWA believes that any restriction regarding personnel from each media organisation may be justified only because it would allow space for all media houses to be represented. However, this justification is instantly negated by the limit that the EC sought to place on the number of media outlets that will be granted access to the collation centres.
As the EC meets with GJA and GIBA, we wish to remind the electoral body that they are a public institution conducting a public event to which the media must be given maximum access in order to adequately inform the citizens. In this respect, we urge the electoral body to include the Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) and the Ghana Community Radio Network (GCRN) who are equally important media stakeholders, in the consultation.
For emphasis, we cite Article 162 (5) of the Constitution which states that “All agencies of the mass media shall, at all times, be free to uphold the principles, provisions and objectives of this Constitution, and shall uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people of Ghana.”
The elections are part of the key provisions of the Constitution and a crucial accountability exercise.
The media must, therefore, be allowed to participate fully in the process. Allowing media access will reflect positively on the EC’s commitment to transparency and enhance public trust. The media presence will ensure timely, verified information and updates, thus checking the spread of false narratives. Media scrutiny will help deter potential misconduct and ensure a successful process.
The MFWA commends the EC once again for its decision to seek consensus on the issue of media accreditation to cover the collation and looks forward to a more practical and progressive outcome.
