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Let’s educate public on infertility issues — GJA vice president urges media
Over the years Infertility has been a sensitive and complex issue that affects couples worldwide and the media must be actively involved in educating the public to change that perception.
Vice President of the Ghana Jour¬nalists Association (GJA), Mrs Linda Asante-Agyei has advised.
According to her infertility issues have the tendency to make a person behave in unacceptable ways that may cause inconvenience to the per¬son trying to conceive.
She expressed these concerns at a community awareness online video conference programme organised by the Merck Foundation on health for the Media.
It was in partnership with Mrs Re¬becca Akufo-Addo, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More than a moth¬er “ campaign and the GJA.
Mrs Asante-Agyei was speaking on the topic, “the role of the media in reaching out to communities at the grassroot levels raising awareness on health and social issues.”
She observed that this was large¬ly due to the importance attached to the role of motherhood, and the inability of a woman to meet this expectation which incurs the displea¬sure and unfavourable attitudes from society.
Mrs Asante Agyei noted that the development sadly, affected childless couples noting that the ultimate pur¬pose of marriage was procreation-to produce children who will continue the heritage and name of the family.
She said sometimes the pressure compelled childless women to even isolate themselves to avoid any con¬frontation from others thus maintain their mental health.
“Women who are battling infertil¬ity usually suffer serious stigmatisa¬tion.
“However, those with high edu¬cation living in urban cities feel less stigmatised while women in rural communities feel more stigmatised, Mrs Asante-Agyei noted.
To address this challenge of in¬fertility stig¬matisation, she called on the media to extend educa¬tion to rural communities for more people to be educated.
She was of the view that the more infertile women were exposed to knowledge about the subject, the more likely they would be to live a lifestyle that would increase their chances of becoming fertile.
Mrs Asante-Agyei reminded soci¬ety that although motherhood was considered a major role of women there were other roles they played in building society which should be re¬spected, therefore, their roles should not only be limited to child-bearing.
The Vice President also advised men to seek medical care since of infertility could also be from the men.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema
THE Executive Director of the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), Mr Juventus Dourinaah, has called on the media to take a lead role in promoting inclusivity and accessibility for the deaf and hard-of-hearing persons in Ghana.
He made the call at a media forum last week on the theme “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights.” It brought together journalists, development partners, and members of the Deaf community.
The event formed part of efforts to highlight the importance of sign language as a human right and to encourage media institutions to adopt inclusive communication practices.
Mr Dourinaah emphasised that the media was one of the most powerful tools for shaping public perception, influencing policies, and setting national agendas.
“The media holds strong power to influence understanding and build inclusion.”
For deaf persons, he said, access to information through sign language, captioning, and visual communication is not a privilege but rather a human right.
He added that without accessible communication, deaf people remain excluded from national conversations, education, and opportunities that shape their lives.
He therefore urged both public and private broadcasters to integrate sign language interpretation into all news programmes, public service announcements, and major national events.
Mr Dourinaah also appealed to the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Ministry of Communications (MoC) to make accessibility a mandatory requirement for all media houses.
At the end of the meeting, media representatives in a communique pledged to promote accessibility by including Ghanaian Sign Language interpretation and subtitles in programming.
They also pledged to ensure fair and non-discriminatory representation of deaf persons while collaborating with GNAD to train media personnel on inclusive communication.
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The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) would host its flagship awards in Kumasi for the first time, with the 29th edition set for November 8 at the Manhyia Palace, under the patronage of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The event will celebrate excellence in journalism and recognise media professionals and institutions that have demonstrated integrity, innovation, and commitment to the highest standards of the profession.
Launching the Awards in Accra on Thursday, the GJA President, Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, explained that the decision to host the awards in Kumasi was a symbolic gesture of inclusivity, reflecting the Association’s commitment to recognise contributions from all regions of the country.
This year’s edition would be held under the theme, “Safeguarding Ghana’s Future: The Role of the Media in Promoting Peace, Security and the Fight Against Galamsey.”
At the launch, two committees — Awards and Planning Committees — were inaugurated.
The nine-member Awards Committee, chaired by Mr Gabriel Bosompem, former Commissioner of the National Media Commission and former Production Manager at TV3 (Media General), is responsible for vetting of entries.
Other members of the committee include Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahman, Editor of the Ghanaian Times; Mr Kingsley Obeng-Kyere, P.A.V. Ansah, Ms Nana Yaa Konadu, and Ms Theresa Owusu-Ako.
The rest are Madam Agnes Boye-Doe, Mr David Andoh, Mr Samuel Bio and Mr Jeorge Wilson Kingston.
The Planning Committee is co-chaired by Mr Dwumfour and Mr Prince Oheneba Nana Kwaku Duah, and includes Mr Dominic Hlordzi, Mr Emmanuel Safo, Deputy Head of Protocol at the Manhyia Palace; and Mr Kwame Adinkra.
Others are Mr Kojo Soboh, Mr Nathaniel Attoh of Joy News; Ms Rebecca Ekpe, Vice President of the GJA; and former National Treasurer, Mrs Audrey Francesca Dekalu.
Mr Dwumfour assured that accommodation and transportation would be fully provided for more than 500 journalists to travel to Kumasi for the awards to ensure full participation.
The event will commence with a welcome reception at the Lancaster Hotel on Friday, November 7, followed by a health walk on the morning of Saturday and climax it with the awards ceremony at 4pm at the Manhyia Palace.
The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, in his address, commended the GJA for sustaining the awards for over nearly three decades.
He urged journalists to embrace innovation and adapt to new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence.
He reaffirmed government’s commitment to press freedom, noting that President John Dramani Mahama remains a strong advocate of free speech.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
