By Rachel Kakraba
Award-winning journalist and the General Manager of Citi FM and Channel One TV, Bernard Avle, has praised the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) for recognising and honouring the legacy of the late Anthony Akoto Ampaw, who was a distinguished private legal practitioner and human rights activist.
This, he noted, plays a significant role in preserving the legacy of the late Akoto Ampaw, whose legal advocacy and commitment to press freedom left a lasting impact on society. Mr. Avle said this when he delivered a lecture at this year’s STAR Ghana Foundation, Akoto Ampaw Active Citizenship Dialogue, in Accra.
The event, which is organised annually, serves as a platform for fostering civic engagement, participatory governance, and social accountability. The year’s dialogue brought together key stakeholders who discussed national issues and explored pathways for strengthening active citizenship in the governance of the country.
Delivering the lecture, Mr. Avle lauded the GJA for its efforts in preserving the memory of Akoto Ampaw, who championed justice and fundamental freedoms.
“One of the things that shocked me was that it was my fraternity, the journalists, that honoured him. I don’t think the Ghana Bar Association has given him any honour. It’s quite shocking because GJA honoured Akoto Ampaw even though he didn’t consider himself as a journalist.”
Adding on, he said, “he was there for a lot of us, and I’ll show some of the high-profile criminal libel cases that he defended, I’m sure pro bono. Early in our liberation struggle, I noticed that the lawyers used journalism as a tool for advocacy. So, they didn’t call themselves journalists. In my generation, being a journalist is not enough; you have to get a law degree so that when you get into the room, you can work a certain way. I feel like we’ve missed the trick there.”
The celebrated lawyer, human rights activist and anti-corruption campaigner, Anthony Akoto Ampaw, passed away on October 20, 2023 at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), in Accra.
Following his passing, the GJA announced the Akoto Ampaw Award for Democracy and Good Governance on its flagship annual awards for his dedication to the protection and promotion of media freedom.
Mr. Avle said media platforms play a crucial role in shaping public opinion, educating communities, and driving positive change and urged practitioners to use their platforms to promote the greater good of society.
“I interviewed a couple of guys two days ago on their fourth estate work, and I interviewed a duty bearer who said, well, BNI is investigating. So sometimes when we come on air, it affects us. I said, No, the BNI is working for the state, but this is social accountability. So, these guys have to come on air to show their work. So, whether the BNI is investigating or not, and by the way, if these guys hadn’t done their work, BNI wouldn’t even know there was anything wrong.”
Mr. Avle asked that journalists be recognised for their work. Referencing the Fourth Estate’s exposé on the controversial revenue mobilisation deal between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), he said former President Akufo-Addo’s statement, which called for investigations into the matter, should have recognised the work of the journalist.
“The team collaborated, fourth estate, with the Africa Center for Energy Policy. The president’s statement asking KPMG to investigate didn’t even acknowledge the work of the journalist in an attempt to delegitimise the work of civic advocacy that is wrong. He added, even if you want to order KPMG to investigate, you have to acknowledge that it was the journalist who brought the issue to your light.”
Mr. Avle said in making the people an active part of governance, civic activism must be championed, with a change of the mindset of the citizenry.
“Civic activism will be eternally difficult if we don’t begin to pull people along. Because a lot of times what makes activists lose hope is that the people they are trying to liberate begin to fight them.”
For his part, Media Expert, Prof. Kwame Karikari urged citizens to contribute to the country’s development, no matter how small their efforts may seem. He emphasised that collective efforts can drive significant progress in a country.
