By: Emmanuel Oti Acheampong
The second edition of the Media Capacity Enhancement Training Programme has been opened in Accra at the University of Media, Arts and Communication auditorium. The programme is a training workshop for media persons in Ghana.
In an open address, the Chairman of the working committee of the programme and Vice Chancellor of the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), Professor Kwamena Ansah Aidoo, stressed the value and impact the training programme will have in the media space after its launch in 2022. He emphasised the importance of the programme as an intersection between opportunity and responsibility.
Professor Aidoo added that the field of journalism has never been more vital, nor have its challenges been more complex.
He noted that ethical lapses in the Ghanaian media, from inaccuracies to indecencies, pose a serious concern to the professionalism and practice of media personnel in the country. He also said the violations often linked to politically affiliated groups have contributed to the decline in professionalism, which has eroded public trust in the media that are supposed to help safeguard our democracy and our society.
He called on the media to foster an engaged and informed citizenry to encourage active participation in the democratic process. Through their investigative prowess and commitment to truth, the media was charged with acting as a check and balance to safeguard the principles that underpin the democratic values of the country.
In his opening remarks, the President of the Ghana Journalist Association, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, mentioned the importance of the training programme as one that is essential for nation-building. He touted the training programme as one that is crucial to all purposes and functions of media practitioners and charged Journalists to remain relevant and useful to the profession.
Mr. Dwumfour urged all journalists to rally around the code of ethics of the journalism profession as the country heads into a year of democratic test. He said the concept of nation-building must be a top priority for journalists and a great responsibility as well. According to him, effective nation-building can be achieved when there is a strong political and dynamic administration that is free from vested interests.
