Ghana’s media ecosystem at risk without stronger ties with security agencies — Sulemana Braimah

The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has called for stronger collaboration between the Ghanaian media and security agencies.

He noted that without such cooperation, incidents of journalists being attacked in the line of duty may rise, posing risks to the country’s democratic foundations.

Speaking at a Media-Security Dialogue on the theme “Strengthening Collaboration between the Media and Security Agencies in Ghana” in Accra on Thursday, November 27, Mr. Braimah noted that engagement between the two sectors has long been limited.

He said the lack of structured interaction has created a persistent disconnect, resulting in situations where security personnel consistently emerge as leading perpetrators of violations against journalists.

The MFWA boss stressed that despite the country's vibrant and pluralistic media landscape, recent years have seen worrying declines in press freedom rankings and a rise in attacks on journalists by state actors.

“This disconnect, if allowed to persist, will always come at a cost. It undermines mutual trust and weakens the media’s ability to help the public understand matters of significant importance,” he stated.

He urged security agencies to see the media not as adversaries but as partners whose roles complement national stability, accountability and democratic governance.

Meanwhile, data from MFWA indicates that Ghana recorded 87 media and expression violations between January 2020 and November 2025, with security agencies responsible for 34 of them and only seven receiving any form of redress.

Presenting the report, Dora Boamah Mawutor, a Programme Manager at MFWA, called for stiffer sanctions for perpetrators and deeper collaboration between the media and security agencies to improve safety and accountability.