News
Withdraw request for GBC to abandon 3 channels on DTT platform – GJA
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) yesterday called for the immediate withdrawal of the directive, requesting the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to abandon three of its six channels on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DDT) platform.
In a statement issued by the association in Accra on Monday, July 20 and signed by the president of GJA, Mr Roland Affail Monney, it said that, the directive contravenes constitutional provisions and would endanger the activities of the station.
“It is the view of the GJA that the directive will significantly impact on the operations of the GBC and amount to interference by government in the work of the state owned media,” the statement said.
“This is against the provisions of Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution,” it added.
The directive by the Communications Minister has the potential of curtailing the operations of media houses, particularly a state owned media, which the constitution has specifically asked to be insulated from governmental control by a constitutional body.
The mother body for journalists in the country, GJA has therefore, demanded that the directive by the Ministry of Communications to GBC and other media houses on their channels on the DTT platform be brought to a halt with immediate effect.
Accordingly, the GJA has called on the National Media Commission (NMC) and all relevant stakeholders to ensure all concerns over the DDT platform be ironed out.
Meanwhile, the GJA has also urged for a long term solution to this and any other issues confronting the highly sensitive media industry is for Ghana to attach utmost urgency to the enactment of a broadcasting law.
In the manner, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has also raised concern over the same directive by the Minister of Communications, and called on President Akufo-Addo to revoke the order should the sector minster fail to do so.
In a press release by the foundation copied to the Ghanaian Times, the foundation mentioned that, instruction by the minister contravenes constitutional and regulatory provisions on the autonomy of the state broadcaster and also undermines media pluralism.
“The foundation also stated that, the directive was counterproductive, as the president has relied on the GBC channels in delivering his periodic updates on the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement said.
The foundation has since called on the regulator of the Ghanaian media landscape, the NMC to expedite efforts in ensuring that, the state broadcaster is insulated from any form of control.
“We also call on the NMC to assert its constitutional responsibility of insulating the state broadcaster from governmental interference and control,” the statement mentioned.
The Communications Minister, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful in a letter dated June 26, 2020, addressed to the Director General, Professor Amin Alhassan, asked the state broadcaster to reduce its six digital channels to three.
BY TIMES REPORTER
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
