2024 media accreditation restriction opaque and dangerous — Manasseh Azure
Ghanaian investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has criticized the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana over its recent decision to limit media access to collation centres for the 2024 general election.
A leaked memo from the EC’s Deputy Chairman for Operations, Samuel Tettey, detailed the new accreditation arrangements for media access to collation centres.
According to the directive, access to constituency collation centres will be limited to eight media houses—three television stations (two personnel each) and five radio stations (one personnel each).
For regional collation centres, only 12 media houses will be granted access—five television stations (two personnel each) and seven radio stations (one personnel each).
The memo emphasized, “Please note that without the accreditation, no media personnel can enter our collation centres.”
In a social media post on Wednesday, November 27, Manasseh described the restrictions as “opaque and dangerous,” urging the EC to uphold transparency in its operations.
“The EC, led by a CSO activist, must not restrict media access in the election coverage. It’s opaque and dangerous!” he wrote, emphasizing the critical role of the media in ensuring free, fair and transparent elections.
Manasseh’s critique aligns with concerns raised by other stakeholders who argue that the restrictions could hinder credible media oversight of the electoral process.
Critics assert that reducing the number of journalists at critical collation centres may limit the public’s access to real-time and diverse information during the elections.
In defence of the restrictions, the EC explained in its November 27 press release that the quotas are necessary to maintain order and ensure a peaceful process at the collation centres.
“The Commission is mindful of the need to ensure an orderly and peaceful process at all the collation centres, hence the quotas on the number of persons who can access the collation centres at any given time,” the statement read.