NDC will repeal all anti-press freedom laws if voted in 2024 polls — Ablakwa

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu says the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) government will repeal all laws restricting press freedom and ensure safety for journalists if elected.

Presenting the opposition party's policies on tackling corruption at a press briefing, the North Tongu MP outlined the NDC's commitment to reversing the "current climate of fear, intimidation, harassment, and safety" facing the media.

"We will repeal all anti-press freedom laws and reverse the current climate of fear, intimidation, harassment, and safety as well as broadening the frontiers of media freedoms and development," Ablakwa told journalists, quoting directly from the party's manifesto.

Ghana has come under criticism for passing legislation that activists argue curb media freedom and self-censorship.

Security for journalists is also a major concern after recent incidents like the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale in 2019, whose killing remains unsolved.

By scrapping such restrictive statutes and guaranteeing journalists can operate without threats of violence or prosecution, Ablakwa stated the NDC's goal is to create a safer, more open environment for the Fourth Estate to hold public officials accountable.