EC must disclose list of media houses granted accreditation to cover proceedings at National Collation Centre – Albert Dwumfour

President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour has raised concern about the decision of the Electoral Commission (EC) to give media accreditation to selected media to cover proceedings at the National Collation Centre.

Addressing a press conference on behalf of Media Coalition, Mr. Dwumfour demanded that the EC disclose the list of media houses granted accreditation by the Commission.

He said the Media Coalition also demands that the EC discloses the methodology used to select the media houses to cover proceedings at the National Collation Centre.

“The EC must disclose the list of media houses it has granted accreditation to cover proceedings at the National Collation Centre in the interest of transparency.

“The EC must disclose the methodology used to select media houses to cover proceedings at the National Collation Centre,” Mr. Albert Dwumfour said.

At the press conference, the GJA President said the Media Coalition was not consulted by the EC in arriving at its decision to give accreditation to selected media houses to cover proceedings at the National Collation Centre.

The Media Collation has warned that the action by the EC will affect the integrity of the 2024 general election.

“Colleagues, inasmuch as we have admonished our members to be professional in the discharge of their duties, and tirelessly advised them to refrain from misinformation and disinformation, we fear the decision taken by the EC may dissipate our efforts and gains, as it may stoke the fire of those undesirable phenomena,” Albert Kwabena Dwumfour said.

Meanwhile, the Media Collation has stressed that it remains committed to the promotion of successful elections but never to the promotion of distressful actions that may divert the course to that end.

Below is a copy of the statement read at the press conference.

ADDRESS BY ALBERT KWABENA DWUMFOUR, GJA PRESIDENT, ON BEHALF OF THE MEDIA COALITION, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON ELECTION 2024 AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE, HELD AT THE GHANA INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTRE, ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2024

Representatives of the Media Coalition Ghana,

Distinguished media practitioners,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you very much for honouring our invitation at this very short notice.

We thank God voting started across the country this morning in this year’s elections. Reports from our election volunteers indicate that the exercise has been generally smooth. We wish to commend the Electoral Commission (EC) for this outcome. However, we have also received reports of some challenges at various polling stations. For instance, in the Ayawaso Central Constituency in the Greater Acccra Region, many of the polling stations did not have the full complement of EC officials at post at the time of our visit. Also, at the Kaleo Old Market Polling Station in the Upper West Region, voting had not started as at 8:50am when our election volunteer visited the station. We appeal to the EC to quickly address these challenges to ensure the smooth running of the elections.

Yesterday, the Media Coalition Ghana, made up of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) and New Media Association of Ghana (NMAG), issued a press statement calling on the Electoral Commission to rescind its decision to give accreditation to selected media houses to cover proceedings at the National Collation Centre. We had expressed concern that the decision of the EC will gravely affect the integrity of the elections due to the absence of a fair and transparent methodology of selecting media houses for covering proceedings at the National Collation Centre. We had also expressed concern that the decision of the EC may fuel the phenomena of misinformation and disinformation. Unfortunately, the EC did not heed to our call and has gone ahead to implement its selective agenda.

Colleagues, we wish to emphasise the submission we made in our press statement yesterday that the EC did not consult the Media Coalition Ghana, either collectively or individually, in arriving at its decision. And since it has gone ahead to implement its decision, we have no choice than to demand the following:

1. The EC must disclose the list of media houses it has granted accreditation to cover proceedings at the National Collation Centre in the interest of transparency.

2. The EC must disclose the methodology used to select media houses to cover proceedings at the National Collation Centre.

Colleagues, inasmuch as we have admonished our members to be professional in the discharge of their duties, and tirelessly advised them to refrain from misinformation and disinformation, we fear the decision taken by the EC may dissipate our efforts and gains, as it may stoke the fire of those undesirable phenomena. We remain committed to the promotion of successful elections but never to the promotion of distressful actions that may divert the course to that end. And when that happens, please ask the EC for answers.

National Media Collation Centre
Colleagues, as the GJA indicated in our press conference, the GJA has deployed election volunteers in all the 276 constituencies across the country to collect and collate results of the December 7 elections. In that regard, we are setting up a platform to project provisional and certified results of the elections on giant monitors mounted at the Press Centre for the benefit of the media, political actors and the general public. After the press conference, we will take you round to see the platform we are building as evidence of what we are doing. Under the project, the GJA election volunteers will also observe the general conduct of the elections and particularly report challenges media practitioners may face in the field to the leadership of the Association for quick resolution. The GJA has also set up a seven-member Election Monitoring Team to compile a comprehensive report on the outcome of the elections.

Colleagues, the GJA has designated the Gifty Affenyi Dadzie Conference Hall at the Press Centre as a prime location for the organisation of press conferences on election-related matters by all political actors. We believe the location of the Press Centre offers a central point and great convenience at no cost to all the political actors and the media for interaction on election-related matters. The GJA has engaged extensively with political parties and media managers about this initiative.

Colleagues, the GJA has received 9,009 media accreditation tags from the Electoral Commission, including reprinted tags, as of Thursday, December 5, 2024, for distribution to media practitioners covering the elections. The number includes 100 foreign journalists. We urge media practitioners to endeavour to promote peace in all aspects of their work during the electioneering. We wish to advise media practitioners to put the interest of the nation first in all circumstances as they cover the elections. Media practitioners must be circumspect and avoid pitfalls that may expose them to harm of any kind. However, they must be bold and remain resolute in the discharge of their duties in order to protect and project the sovereign will of the people.

Colleagues, as we go into the elections, we urge media owners and managers to equip their staff covering the elections with adequate tools and necessities, including food and means of transportation, so that they are not led into compromises that may undermine their independence and vigilance. We applaud the media for a good job done on the Special Voting Days last Monday and Thursday, particularly the vigilance they exhibited at Ayawaso West Wuogon, to lay bare evidence of the disturbing incidents that occurred in the constituency during voting. We call on all political actors and the general public to support the media in the discharge of their duties, and to avoid attacking media practitioners. We particularly call on the Ghana Police Service to protect media practitioners covering the elections to enable them discharge their duties effectively and efficiently. Media practitioners who may come into harm’s way in the line of duty may contact the GJA Hotlines: 025 662 2583 / 050 357 7215 for support. The GJA welcomes foreign journalists who have arrived in Ghana to cover the elections and those who are watching from afar, assuring them of our instant and constant support. We invite the foreign journalists to visit the Press Centre located on the Gamel Abdul Nasser Avenue in Accra for information, and informalities.

The GJA wishes to express profound gratitude to the KGL Group for sponsoring this project. This support will go a long way to deepen Ghana’s democracy. We are thankful to the visionary Executive Chairman of KGL Group, Mr Alex Dadey, for his immense support to the GJA over the years.