The General Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Mr Edmund Kofi Yeboah has underscored the important role the media play in the impending referendum on the creation of the new regions.
The purpose of the exercise for journalists to be adequately informed on the impending referendum is very important.
Mr Yeboah said the media have major role to play in the referendum, especially in interpreting the events in local languages for citizens to understand what the referendum means to them.
He told journalists in Tamale at a forum organised by the GJA in collaboration with Star Ghana aimed at deepening local governance in Ghana.
The journalists and CSOs drawn from the three Northern regions was to deliberate to see how best the media and CSOs could help deepen local governance in the country.
The GJA-Star Ghana Project Officer, Rebecca Amma Ekpe explained that the project is to support the GJA to help deepen the decentralization process at the local level.
She expressed worry about the slow pace of information from the government regarding the creation of the new regions.
The media she said needs to tell the people outside the new regions what the new regions meant for them.
But the media are not given the information to feed the public and that the GJA interest Madam Rebeca explained was to ensure that citizens are well equipped with information about the referendum and the election of the metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives.
“It took the media to mount pressure on government before a directive was given for the new regions report to be published on the government’s website”, she said.
The situation according to Madam Rebeca Ekpe should have not arose at all in the first place.
Civil Society Organizations in Ghana believes electing the MMDCEs is good for Ghana’s democracy because the DCEs will be more responsible and accountable to the citizens unlike current arrangement where DCEs are answerable to the appointing authority.
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