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How We Work with Journalists to Promote Accountability in Governance – Here is a Great Example from Ghana

Kwaku Asante
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How We Work with Journalists to Promote Accountability in Governance – Here is a Great Example from Ghana

In the last three weeks, the President, Vice President and ministers of state in Ghana have had to give public assurances of their commitment to ensuring accountability and value for money in the execution of government-sponsored projects.

The assurances of accountability by the authorities follow an investigative report produced by a young journalist, Joshua Asaah of A1 Radio, a radio station located in Bolgatanga, capital of the Upper East region of Ghana.

In the 2017 budget of the nation, the government of Ghana allocated GHC94, 446,132 (about US$18million) under its Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme to construct several dams in the northern sector of the country.

The dams were to be constructed in fulfillment of the government’s 2016 election campaign promise to build dams in villages across the northern sector of the country. The campaign promise was branded the One village, One Dam (1V1D) initiative intended to ensure that residents in the northern sector of the county who are affected by annual long periods of drought can have access to water for all-year-round farming.

After two-years in government and having commenced the construction of dams, it was time to assess the state of the dams that were being constructed.  With funding support from the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) under our Media and Good Governance Programme, Joshua Asaah received funding to commence his investigations. He visited several dam sites and spoke to members of beneficiary communities, experts and local government officials.

The outcome of the journalist’s investigations was put together in a documentary titled “Thirsty Dams of the North”. The story revealed how shoddily many of the dams had been executed. It revealed the chilling story of how one such dam had actually caused the death of three children in the Soe community in the Bolgatanga municipality.

Ayopia Dam

The documentary provoked a huge public outcry from residents of the north and triggered an initial reaction from the country’s Ministry of Special Initiative where the sector Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson, was scheduled to visit the Upper East region to ascertain the situation. Several media outlets – both online and offline either republished the documentary or conducted follow-up interviews on the issues raised.

Days later, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, reacted to the story. “There are all kinds of criticisms being made about other parts of our policy. Apparently, some people up there are not satisfied with the dams that have been built … I will be looking into these matters and at the appropriate time, I will have the opportunity to speak about these criticisms,” the President said.

Kajelo Dam

Few days after the president’s pledge to investigate the matter, the Vice-President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia also directed the cancellation all of such constructions that fail to meet the specified standards and no payments to contractors. “We are trying to construct over 500 of these dams and I will like to direct the development authorities … You cannot pay the contractors if they have done a shoddy job. You should fire them and bring in new contractors. It is just that simple,” the Vice President said.

Already some contractors are said to have returned to the dam’s sites to fix problems with the quality of work they had done to ensure value for money and avoid incurring the wrath of the authorities over the poor quality of their work.

The journalist, Joshua Asaah, spoke about how the funding he received helped him to produce the compelling story.

“In the one month period I investigated the issues, the funding from the MFWA enabled me to fuel my motorbike to travel to communities and districts, cater for feeding, accommodation and other logistics where necessary,” he said.

Under a special initiative called the Journalism for Change (J4C) under our Media and Good Governance Programme, we are working with journalists across West Africa, offering them support both financial and technical to help improve transparency and accountability in governance through high quality, impactful journalism.

This initiative is being implemented under the project: Enhancing Public Participation and Demand for Transparency and Accountability in Governance with funding support from the Hewlett Foundation.

By: Abigail Larbi, Programme Manager, Media and Good Governance

MFWA Commends President Akufo-Addo for Assenting RTI Law

Kwaku Asante
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MFWA Commends President Akufo-Addo for Assenting RTI Law

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) welcomes the signing of the RTI Law by Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and congratulates the government on delivering the much-awaited Law after two decades of waiting.

The RTI Law will provide an impetus for the fight against corruption and promote transparent governance in Ghana. This expectation will, however, be attained if the Law is properly implemented, as duly acknowledged in the President’s speech when assenting to the Law at a ceremony at the Jubilee House (seat of government) on May 21, 2019.

“Properly applied, it (RTI Law) should enhance the quality of governance in our country and provide a critical tool in the fight against corruption,” President Akufo-Addo said.

We, therefore, urge the Attorney General’s Department and the Legislature to work together to produce an effective Legislative Instrument needed to operationalise the Law and ensure its smooth implementation. Also, with the scheduled implementation date of January 2020 only eight months away, we wish to impress upon the institutions concerned to ensure that we meet the timeline for the commencement of the RTI implementation.

The MFWA further calls on all stakeholders, particularly the public, civil society organisations and the media, to follow the implementation process with the same vigilance and enthusiastic campaigns that led to the passage of the Bill on March 26, 2019.

The RTI Bill was first drafted in 1999, but was only presented to Parliament in 2010 after a series of reviews. It took another nine years of back-and-forth before it was passed in March 2019.

Upholding Press Freedom: Court Orders Media Regulator to lift Ban on Newspaper

Kwaku Asante
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Upholding Press Freedom: Court Orders Media Regulator to lift Ban on Newspaper

In what constitutes a victory for press freedom, La Nouvelle Tribune, a private newspaper in Benin, has won an appeal against a ban imposed on it by the media regulator.

The Cotonou Court of Appeal on May 16, 2019, ruled that the prohibition of La Tribune’s publication by the La Haute Autorité de l’Audiovisuelle et de la Communication (HAAC), the media regulator, is “an affront” and ordered the regulator to lift it.

“Decision No. 18-34 / HAAC of 26 July 2018 prohibiting the publication of the newspaper until further notice constitutes an affront,” the court ruled.

The court ordered the HAAC to lift the band on La Nouvelle Tribune with immediate effect, failing which it will be liable to a penalty of 500,000 CFA for every day of default.

It would be recalled that the newspaper was suspended indefinitely on May 23, 2018 and July 26, 2018 by the HAAC after a series of critical articles about President Patrice Talon of Benin.

 “La Nouvelle Tribune has, since January, 2018, been engaged in a crusade of insults and outrageous reporting on the private life of the Head of State, using very demeaning words,” the suspension letter read.

On September 7, 2018, the management of the newspaper took the case to a court of first instance in Cotonou. The judge, Edibayo Dasssoundo, in his decision nᵒ019 / 18 2nd CH-CM of 12 October 2018, declared that the HAAC was within its rights to suspend the newspaper.

Unsatisfied with the verdict, the New Tribune went to the Appeal Court which on May 16, overturned the decision of the court of first instance.

The MFWA welcomes the verdict of the Court of Appeal as step in the right direction and a victory against repression.  We applaud the Management of La Tribune for their tenacious pursuit of justice and commend the Court of Appeal for upholding the law and denouncing arbitrariness.

Fighting Impunity: Appeal Court Releases Jailed Protesters

Vivian Affoah
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Fighting Impunity: Appeal Court Releases Jailed Protesters

An Appeal Court in Conakry on May 13, 2019, ordered the release from detention of seven protesters of the pressure group Front National Pour la Defense de la Constitution(FNDC) recently arrested in Kindia during a visit by President Alpha Condé.

The dissidents were accused of heckling the President, who was presiding over a ceremony at the Fodé Fissa stadium in Kindia on May 4. They were stripped of their shirts bearing the inscription “Touche pas a Ma Constitution,” (Don’t Touch My Constitution), the catchphrase of the Front National Pour la Defense de la Constitution (FNDC), a group which professes to defend Guinea’s constitution.

On May 7, they were sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of Guinea Francs 500,000 (about US$ 54) each after being found guilty of public order offences.

They were however set free by an appeals court on May 13. The court also ordered that the seized T-shirts of the defendants be returned to them.

The MFWA welcomes the release of the protesters as a victory for the rule of law and the right to peaceful demonstration. The seven dissidents did not have to be arrested in the first place, given that their protest against the President was a legitimate exercise of their freedom of expression and assembly rights. We urge the authorities in Guinea to demonstrate more tolerance for dissent and refrain from abusing the rights of citizens who express divergent opinions through demonstrations or protests.

Shutdown of Pro-Opposition Radio Stations: Regulator’s Action Arbitrary, Capricious

Kwaku Asante
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Shutdown of Pro-Opposition Radio Stations: Regulator’s Action Arbitrary, Capricious

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has closely followed the developments within the media landscape in Ghana over the last few weeks, particularly the shutting down of two pro-opposition radio stations, Radio Gold and Radio XYZ.

While the MFWA will fully support any actions intended to enforce regulations governing allocation and utilisation of frequencies in the country, the communication regulator, National Communication Authority (NCA)’s action in relation to the two radio stations and perhaps others, can best be described as opaque, arbitrary and capricious.

Checks on the NCA’s website today (May 13, 2019), for example, indicated that both Radio XYZ and Radio Gold were listed among the list of authorized FM stations in the country as of the last quarter of 2018. If one were to go by this data produced by the NCA itself, one would ask at what point did these stations become unauthorized?

Secondly, checks on the same NCA database, indicated that a vast number of radio stations had not renewed their licenses since their acquisition. This then leaves one with the question: if stations that had not renewed their licenses were to be shut down, why penalise some stations and leave others?

The use of armed police officers for the conduct of the exercise was typical of how authorities in repressive regimes would always seek to muffle pro-opposition media. The manner in which the radio station was shut down could have been justified if the station had been notified to shutdown and they had been recalcitrant in complying with such orders.

It is important to point out that in all cases where states have sought to repress sections of the media, the most potent weapon has always been the use of the law. What is important therefore is the transparency and the even-handedness in the application of the law and the NCA in this particular instance has not been transparent in the consequential actions being taken following their audit.

On the need for transparency therefore, we urge the NCA to publicise the details of all the stations in default based on the 2017 FM spectrum audit that was conducted, and the current status of these radio stations.

Once again while the MFWA supports any efforts by regulators that operators comply with their licensing requirements, we urge such regulatory bodies not to abuse their power by engaging in acts that may suggest selectivity and discrimination in enforcing the laws.

Seven Sentenced for Protesting against a Third Term Bid by President Conde

Kwaku Asante
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Seven Sentenced for Protesting against a Third Term Bid by President Conde

Seven members of an opposition political movement in Guinea were, on May 7, 2019, sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of 500,000 Guinea Francs each after they staged a protest against President Alpha Conde.

Boubacar Barry, Thierno Mamoudou Diallo, Mohamed Camara, Amadou Soumah, Sylla Mohamed, Mamadou Celou Diallo and Mohamed Keita are all members of the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC), a political group opposed to any constitutional changes to allow President Conde to seek a third term.

They were arrested on May 4, 2019, at the Fodé Fissa stadium in Kindia, where the president was performing the official launch of festivities to mark Guinea’s 61st independence anniversary.

The seven were wearing-shirts with the inscription “No to Constitutional Changes”, the catchphrase of opponents of the Presidents’ perceived ambition to seek a third term, when they were arrested. They were charged with “obstructing the right to demonstrate and disturbing public order” under article 625 and 561 of Guinea’s criminal code.

Alpha Condé, 81, has not yet spoken about the constitutional changes reportedly being planned to allow him to seek a third mandate in 2020. However, many of his recent pronouncements have been interpreted in that direction and the authorities are getting increasingly intolerant of opponents of his perceived third-term ambitions.

After the verdict, the seven activists, who had spent three days in pre-trial detention, were returned to prison under heavy surveillance to serve their three-month prison terms.

In an interview with reporters at the end of the hearing, the defense lawyer, Salif Béavogui, described the trial as “politico-judicial” and “shameful.”

The MFWA finds the arrest, the arbitrary detention and subsequent sentencing of the seven activists as ridiculous and unacceptable in a democracy. Guinea’s constitution guarantees the right to peaceful protest, and we call on the authorities to uphold this right at all times.

Thugs Attack Journalist Covering their Violence against Protesters

Vivian Affoah
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Thugs Attack Journalist Covering their Violence against Protesters

Thugs suspected to be supporters of Nigeria’s Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, have attacked and seized the mobile phones and money of Ayodeji Adegboyega, a reporter with the Premium Times newspaper.

The incident occurred on May 8, 2019 while Ayodeji Adegboyega was covering a labour union protest against the Labour Minister, Chris Ngige, over delays in inaugurating the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

The thugs accosted Adegboyega after they spotted her recording their acts of violence against the protesters.

The thugs charged on Adegboyega with stones and bottles, forcing her to flee the scene. The assailants however caught up with her and seized all the valuables they found on her.

“The thugs were pressing my body. They collected my bag, turned it inside out and emptied it. They picked my two phones, the money in my wallet and other contents,” she said.

The MFWA condemns the attack on the journalist as an affront to press freedom. We call on the Minister of Labour to condemn the incident and order an investigation into it. We further urge the Minister to ensure that the culprits are punished and the seized valuables of Adegboyega returned to her.

April 2019 in West Africa: A Tale of Internet Shutdown, Detentions, Threats against Journalists

Kwaku Asante
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April 2019 in West Africa: A Tale of Internet Shutdown, Detentions, Threats against Journalists

The month of April 2019 was darkened by a 24-hour internet shutdown in Benin, a 12-year sentence of an activist in Nigeria and assault on journalists in Guinea, among other incidents in Ghana and Liberia.

On April 28, the Beninois authorities disrupted social media networks in the country before shutting down the entire internet as tension mounted over the decision to proceed with legislative elections from which all opposition candidates had been disqualified.

“It’s impossible to communicate via social media networks in Benin; Facebook, telegram, WhatsApp, Twitter etc.  No platform of social networks has functioned in this country over the past few hours. They are all shut,” reported lanouvelletribune.info, an online news media ahead of the total shutdown.

In a controversial trial in Nigeria, a court in Abuja presided over by Justice Yusuf Halil sentenced  Ibrahim Wala, an anti-corruption activist and convener of Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), to 12 years imprisonment for a Facebook publication in 2017 which was deemed defamatory of a public officer.

Wala had alleged that the complainant, Abdullahi Mukhtar, who is Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), made dubious gains totaling about N3 billion (US$8.3 Million) from supervising the 2017 session of the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Given that Nigeria has repealed criminal libel, this should have been a civil libel case. But, somehow, criminal charges including managing an unlawful association and inciting the public were preferred against the journalist in addition to the defamation charges.

In Guinea, a group believed to be supporters of the ruling coalition dubbed Alliance Arc-en Ciel attacked two journalists covering a protest march in the town of Kankan by opponents of President Alpha Conde’s rumoured third term bid.

Malick  Diakité from Horizon FM and Alhassane Diallo from the news website Guineealerte.com  were beaten, their clothes torn and their work equipment including phones confiscated in the incident which occurred on April 30, 2019.

In a suit filed by Liberia’s Minster of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill, on April 15, the minister demanded US$500,000 in damages from Henry Costa, owner of Roots FM and host of the Costa Show, and the shutdown of his radio station.

The Center for Media Studies and Peace-building (CEMESP), MFWA’s partner organisation in Liberia, reported that the suit followed a letter written by Henry Costa to the American Embassy in Liberia, alleging government sabotage of Roots FM.

“[The Costa show is] a very divisive program that rivals the pre-1994 Radio Rwanda style of broadcasting… [it is] a platform to blackmail and extort, extremely proficient in profanities rather than speaking the truth,” the plaintiff said in his suit.

Back in Benin, security forces on April 18, stormed the home of Casimir Kpedjo, the manager of the private online magazine Nouvelle Economie and took him into detention at the Xlacodji brigade of the Gendarmerie in the economic capital, Cotonou.

In two articles published on the official Facebook page of his newspaper, Kpedjo had criticised a euro bond issued by the country, and made a gloomy analysis of the economy. The journalist was accused of disseminating false information about the economy of Benin and put before court on April 23.

On April 26, Timothy Gobah, a reporter of the Daily Graphic and Graphic Online, one of Ghana’s biggest media outlet, was arbitrarily detained by the youth of the Ogua Traditional Area of the Central Region of Ghana following the journalist’s report on a ceremony to launch the annual traditional festival, the Oguaa Fetu Afahye.

As soon as the report was published at graphiconline.com, a mob of youngsters stormed Gobbah’s office and dragged him away to Emintsimadze Palace, where his cell phone was seized. It took the intervention of the police to get the journalist released after two hours in detention.

Still in Ghana, Starr FM’s correspondent in the Upper East Region, Edward Adeti, was subjected to a series of threats after his work resulted in the resignation of a Minister of State, Rockson Ayine Bukari. The Minister resigned after a tape emerged of his failed attempt to intervene with Adeti on behalf of a Chinese mining company, Shaanxi Mining Ghana Limited, and the most senior judge in the region, Justice Jacob B. Boon. The journalist has since reported receiving a series of threats to his life.

 “I have received threats since last year on text and even on social media. The latest was yesterday [Monday, 29 April 2019]. One Mubariq Muntari said: ‘Edward Adeti will regret this.’

He added that he has been reporting the threats to the Bureau of National Investigations.

“So those threats are there, face to face; anonymously the text comes, threat text and as they come, I forward them to the BNI,” the journalist told Dailymailgh.com

Two Dead in Crackdown on Post-Elections Protesters

Vivian Affoah
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Two Dead in Crackdown on Post-Elections Protesters

At least two people have been killed in Benin after clashes between security agents and protesters contesting the conduct of Parliamentary elections which excluded all opposition candidates.

Two people, a man and a woman, were injured in the night of May 1, 2019 with the latter dying from her wounds at the Cotonou University Hospital the following day.

The second fatality was recorded during clashes between a combined police and military team and supporters of former President, Thomas Boni Yayi on May 2, 2019.  The crowd had gathered around the residence of the former President in the Cadjehoun district of Cotonou to prevent his suspected arrest by the authorities. The security forces fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse the crowd, but one soldier misfired, fatally hitting one of the protesters.

Interior Minister Sacca Lafia admitted in media interviews that firearms were used “against instructions not to use lethal weapons.”

The Media Foundation for West Africa is deeply concerned about the killing of the two protesters and the excessive use of force by the security forces leading to severe injuries among many of the protesters. We call on the authorities in Benin to investigate the brutal crackdown and punish the perpetrators. We also urge the government to take measures to give greater protection to protesters, who have a legitimate right to express their opinions through marches and demonstrations.

Funding Opportunity for Journalists in Burkina-Faso, Ghana & Senegal

Kwaku Asante
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Funding Opportunity for Journalists in Burkina-Faso, Ghana & Senegal

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) announces the 3rd phase of its funding opportunity for journalists in Ghana, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. The initiative seeks to support journalists to produce critical, independent and high-quality reports on issues of Corruption, Transparency, Accountability, and Service Delivery in the target countries.

The funding opportunity forms part of activities under the MFWA’s project titled: Enhancing Public Participation and Demand for Accountability in Governance through Effective Media and Governance Dialogue Platforms. The project seeks to strengthen the capacity of media organisations in Ghana, Senegal and Burkina Faso to report more effectively on Governance, Transparency and Accountability issues. It also aims at empowering the media to become efficient platforms for citizens’-authorities’ engagement on governance issues.

Application Requirements

An Applicant must be a Journalist currently working with a recognised print, electronic and online media in Ghana, Senegal, and Burkina Faso.

Interested applicants should click here to access the application form. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

The funding support for the investigation project ranges from US$ 100 to US$ 1000. Budget above US$ 1000 may be considered for special reports. The deadline for the application is 30th June, 2019.

The project is being implemented with funding support from the US-based William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

World Press Freedom Day 2019: MFWA, GJA Convene Stakeholder Dialogue on Safety of Journalists in Ghana

Kwaku Asante
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World Press Freedom Day 2019: MFWA, GJA Convene Stakeholder Dialogue on Safety of Journalists in Ghana

May 3, 2019 is World Press Freedom Day. In Ghana, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in partnership with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) will hold a Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the Safety of Journalists situation in the country.

The Stakeholders’ Dialogue is scheduled for Thursday, May 2, 2019 at 9:00am at the British Council in Accra. It will bring together representatives from the Ministry of Information, government agencies, the judiciary, parliament, state security agencies, media regulatory bodies, media groups, journalists, civil society organisations and academia.

There will be a panel discussion featuring distinguished personalities such as ACP David Eklu, Director-General, Public Affairs Directorate, Ghana Police Service; Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, Media and Communications Expert/Dean, School of Information & Communication Studies, University of Ghana; Roland Affail Monney, President, Ghana Journalists Association; Salifu Abdul Rahman, Senior Assistant Editor of Ghanaian Times Newspaper/ Victim of Abuse against Journalists.

Despite Ghana’s often-touted democratic credentials, attacks on journalists and media workers persist. In 2018 for example, the country recorded several cases of threats, physical attacks, seizure/damage of equipment and arrest/detention of journalists and media workers. Already in 2019, (January and April), the country has recorded five assault cases including the killing of Ahmed Hussein Suale, a member of investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ team; death threats against Manasseh Azure Awuni; brutalities against three journalists of the New Times Corporation as well as attacks on two media houses (Accra-based Radio XYZ and Dero FM in Nkoranza).

Undoubtedly, these attacks and the impunity with which such crimes are perpetrated impugn the country’s reputation and democratic credentials. It also emboldens perpetrators and nurtures self-censorship among journalists and media workers.

Participants at this Stakeholders’ Dialogue will therefore deliberate on the rising spate of attacks on journalists and proffer solutions on securing the safety of journalists, media workers and free speech in Ghana.

The event will be moderated by Journalist and Legal Practitioner, Samson Lardi Anyenini.

For more information on this event, kindly contact Kwaku Krobea Asante on 0249484528 (email: [email protected]) or the MFWA on 0302-242470.

8 Killed as West Africa Records 152 Freedom of Expression Violations in 2018

Kwaku Asante
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8 Killed as West Africa Records 152 Freedom of Expression Violations in 2018

Eight people were killed in a series of brutal crackdowns on demonstrators in four countries in West Africa where a total of 152 freedom expression violations were recorded in 2018.

Four demonstrators were killed in Guinea, two in Togo with The Gambia and Senegal recording one fatality each.

The fatal crackdowns demonstrate a growing intolerance of public demonstrations on the part of governments and betray serious gaps in police public order procedures. Security forces in general and the police, in particular, were also responsible for 55% for the 152 violations recorded over the period.

At the country level, Nigeria recorded 21 violations to lead the pack of 15 countries in which violations were reported, according to the 2018 West Africa Freedom of Expression Monitor.

Ghana and Guinea followed with 18 violations each, while Senegal, traditionally media friendly and respectful of freedom of expression, followed with 15 violations largely linked to the stormy electioneering campaigns.

A total of 286 victims made up of individuals and media organisations were affected by the 152 violations. The trend showed that the main targets of the violations were outspoken citizens, particularly anti-government demonstrators, journalists and other media workers like technicians. 160 people, representing almost 56% of the victims, were citizens, followed by 92 journalist victims representing 32%.

Click to access the full the 2018 West Africa Freedom of Expression Monitor here.

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