The Role Of The Media In Ghana’s Drive Towards Achieving National Prosperity

Ghana has had a checkered history and the media has always and continues to be at the center of the drama. In our quest as a country towards national prosperity, the role of the Media cannot be downplayed. The media has been defined as a collective means of communication by which the general public is kept abreast of the day to day happenings in the society. It is usually referred to as the fourth arm of government, and responsible for upholding the effectiveness and accountability of a government to the people.

Hence, the media in national prosperity denotes the contribution of the media to the advancement of the society. Moving ahead, this paper would discuss further the role of the media in Ghana’s drive towards achieving national prosperity.

To begin with, the media is known for performing the functions of information, education and entertainment. These are conventional social functions the media renders to the public, but which is equivalently important in the pursuit of national progress. It must be mentioned that through educating, informing and entertaining, the media makes the society aware of the relevance and need to undertake certain processes towards national prosperity.

Interestingly, attached to these three major roles of the media towards national prosperity is the role of persuasion. That is, the media are seen as virile tools of applying persuasive efforts to influence people’s actions and inactions towards a particular positive direction.

Consequently, the media are seen as responsible for furnishing the public with necessary information to achieve development or change goals. Thence, these roles of the Media towards national prosperity lie in their capacity and capability to teach, manipulate, sensitize and mobilize people through information dissemination- (Ucheanya 2003, as cited by Chineye Nwabueze).

The media initiates and charts the course of national discourse by setting the agenda on important issues in the country. This helps in creating in the minds of the people issues that should be viewed as priority issues, including development programs and policies- (Nwabueze, 2005). A classic example of this role played by the media in Ghana is the campaign against illegal mining, also called Galamsey.

Moving away from that, another significant role the media play in Ghana’s drive towards national prosperity is the protection of social justice. It is realized that unlike historians, the media doesn’t only record, compose or report account of events and stories but also analyze issues and facts contained in the news which is in line with the need and interest of social justice. In lieu of this, Justice Dr. Stanley Machebu reported that the media are subordinate to a far higher goal: the goal of ensuring that public and private conduct is directed towards the greatest possible measure of justice in society. This is true to the effect that in the status quo, the media tries as much as it can to critically assess these stories and events which fall in queue with the need and interest of social justice. A true quintessence of this function is the issue of the lynching of the late captain Maxwell Adam Mahama where several media houses do not only recount the sorrowful nature of the event but also try to analyze the issues for justice to prevail. This is how the protection of social justice as a role of the media enhances a healthy drive towards national prosperity.

Moving forward, the media ensures a peaceful national coexistence and progress in Ghana’s drive towards national prosperity. Certainly, it is also the duty of the media to discourage certain developments retarding attitudes such as ethnicity, dictatorship and of course the embezzlement of public or state funds. In fact, if the media were ideally allowed to carry out their function of investigating facts and announcing them to the public, the recent scenario where there is witch-hunting after every successive change of government in Ghana would not have been so. This would have saved resources the state uses in the quest to unleash some of these unscrupulous acts. A very good epitome is the case of the investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas who sacrifices so much to expose corrupt politicians in positions of responsibilities.

Through the media therefore, we can hold the government accountable.

In addition, it is also worthy of mention that the media also offer solutions to problems of the country. Truly, this is another developmental role of the media. They are not only expected to criticize, condemn and chastise the actions of government officials but also to serve as watchdogs. They owe it to review, analyze, or appraise as the case may be the policies and programs of governments and the State. That is, they ought to use this function of offering solution to encourage leaders to stick to budgetary provisions and desist from extra budgetary spending which leads to embezzlement. Currently, there is the situation where everyone knows the problems yet, barely anyone is finding solutions to these problems. This time and age demands the media to put forward their own ideas, alternatives and solutions to problems that they highlight. This would in a long run facilitate easy problem solving.

Lastly, it is the responsibility of the media to inform people about the development projects and programs of a government and country. Such programs designed and proposed by the policy makers could be entirely new to the people, in which case they need to be enlightened about them.

For instance, the operation feed yourself program by Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, the National health insurance by J.A Kufuor and lately the free education policy proposed by the Akuffo Addo led government. These are but a few policies and programs that sought some education to the general populace. And as such, the media did not relent in their primary duty.

Hence moving towards national prosperity as a country, it is the duty of the media to enlighten citizens on some programs and policies of governments.

In summary, the media plays an enormous role in Ghana’s drive towards achieving national prosperity. Apart from their primary function of educating, informing and entertaining the people, the media also helps to ensure the protection of social justice. Beyond that, the media also ensures peaceful national coexistence and progress. By initiating national discourse on topical issues, the issue not only informs the people but also serves as an engine of ideas for the development of the country.

*REFERENCES:*
JIKA A. and ALI M.B. 2002- Mass Media and National Development – A Book of Readings, Munawwar BOOKS international PHC 612 karkasar, Babbangjin P.O Box 11018, Kano, Nigeria.

NWABUEZE C. 2005 – Mass Media and Community Mobilization for Development: An Analytical Approach – International Journal of Communication ISSN 1597 – 4324.

ODULAYE S. 2005 – The Media in Nigeria 11 (An article Number400/NEWS 54984.htm, printed from ‘Gamji’ website on September 2, 2005).

Inuwa, I.M. (July, 2007). Role of the Media in National Development. Retrieved on 27th July, 2007; accessed on June, 2007. A Paper presented at a workshop on the event of 27th Youth Leadership Program Organized by LEAP Africa.

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