Ghanaian Journalists Urged To Up Their Game

Mr. Emmanuel K. Dogbevi

The Executive Director of NewsBridge Africa, Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, has urged Ghanaian journalists to up their game in order to raise the standards of journalism in the country which have fallen so drastically.

According to the Knight-Bagehot Fellow, current daily news reports by many Ghanaian journalists did not meet the standard and this was damaging to the image and credibility of practitioners.

Mr. Dogbevi who was speaking at a two-day media training workshop organised for journalists from the Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions, also entreated participants to endeavour to go beyond press releases they received from individuals, government and corporate institutions to probe the hidden or missing information.

He explained that many a times there could be more relevant news hidden from the surface of press releases intended for mere propaganda and challenged journalists and news editors to take the trouble to dig deeper beyond the propaganda in order to unravel the real news.   

Under the theme: “How to pitch a story and tell it better”, the training was organised by NewsBridge Africa and Ghana Business News with sponsorship from the US Embassy, Ghana. The journalists were taken through the rudiments of broadcast journalism, social media and how to determine whether a press release was newsworthy or not.

The US Embassy sponsored training sought to identify the opportunities inherent in journalism as a mechanism for change and good governance in northern Ghana.

It was also intended to evaluate the current state of journalism in the regions and chart a new course for improved performance in investigative reporting.

Pix by: NewsBridge Africa                                       

The participants were also taken through the ethics, standards and professionalism in the practice of journalism and the relevance of new media and how to use it efficiently.

Raymond Yeldidong Bayor, a journalist and communication specialist also charged journalists to abide by the principles, ethics and standards of journalism by crediting their sources, verify or authenticate their sources and avoid plagiarism when writing.

According to him, sources sometimes could lie by giving false information to unsuspecting journalists. “It is very important that as journalists you try as much as possible to cross check or verify every piece of information you receive from a source in order to be sure you are feeding your audience with the right information”, he stressed.

Mr. Raymond Bayor further explained that journalists were responsible for every news report they publish, and so they ought to be very mindful of what they report for the sake of their credibility and image.

NewsBridge Africa is a not-for-profit making organisation that seeks to promote ethical, responsible, balanced and meaningful journalism that serves the greater public interest through internships, mentoring and continuous training of journalists through workshops and publications.

The organisation also seeks to build the capacity of early to mid career journalists to do investigative, economic, business and political reporting in a manner that meets the requirements of professional journalism. It aims among others to promote high standards in investigations and reporting, in-depth writing, ethical and change-making journalism to influence public opinion.

MTN To Invest Millions Of Dollars In Hospital, Telecom Infrastructure

Mrs. Georgina A. Fiagbenu

Telecom giant, MTN Ghana, as part of its 20^th anniversary celebration would invest 4 million Ghana cedis in the construction of a 40 bed maternity ward for the Tema General Hospital in the Greater Accra Region. 

The company would also invest 96 million dollars in its infrastructural network so as to enhance its services to clients in various sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

“Over the next 3 years, MTN Ghana will also award 300 scholarships to Ghanaian students. Beneficiaries will come from all the ten regions of Ghana”, Mrs. Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications at MTN Ghana announced this at its periodic MTN Editors Forum held in Tamale.

The first edition of MTN Editors Forum was held in 2008 in Tamale. It seeks to create an opportunity for staff and management of Ghana’s largest mobile network service provider and editors of various media houses to meet and share information in the country’s telecoms sector.

Eight years on, the symbiotic relationship cultivated through the forum has been growing from strength to strength as many journalists have been educated on the nuances of telecoms business and the opportunities available for journalists to tap into.

A section of participants at the forum

According to Mrs. Fiagbenu, for the past 8 years, MTN had invested in 135 different projects covering the areas of education, health and economic empowerment among others. “All these investments amount to GH¢22,229,598 and impacted 4 million Ghanaians directly and indirectly”, she indicated.

She also noted that, in 2015 MTN paid 675.6 million cedis as tax to the government of Ghana. “Aside honouring our tax obligation as a company, we have created 500,000 jobs and still counting in Ghana alone.

“Currently, we have 17 million subscribers and still counting. We also have 6 million mobile money subscribers and as a result of growing figures, MTN mobile money is now a separate registered business”, Mrs. Fiagbenu explained.

Mrs. Georgina A. Fiagbenu also announced the launch of Heroes of Change, and appealed to journalists to also nominate people who were believed to have made positive contributions in society through health, education and economic empowerment.

Meanwhile, over 30 news editors participated in the Tamale MTN Editors Forum. Many of them took home souvenirs including credit cards, books, pens after a competitive question and answer session.  

NDC Domination in Northern Region Over - Bugri Naabu

Mr. Bugri Naaba

The Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu has said that the days when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was dominant in the Northern Region were over, and he has thus predicted the doom for President John Dramani Mahama in the 7^th December 2016 elections.

According to the outspoken NPP Regional Chairman, the wind of change was pervasive and the message of hope by the NPP was going down well with the people which he said had given the indications that Northern Region including the Gonjaland would reject President Mahama in the coming election.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Savannahnews in Tamale he said that he was shocked about how the people in Gonjaland defied the might of a heavy downpour which lasted several hours to receive Nana Addo and his entourage in his recent tour of the North. 

Mr. Bugri Naabu further expressed shock about what he described as the unprecedented reception received by Nana Addo from the prominent Chiefs he visited at Kpembe and Salaga, Yapei, Daboya, Damongo, Sawla and Bole all in the Gonja area.

At the Jakpa Palace in Damongo, the Overlord of Gonjaland, Yagbonwura Tuntumba Bore Essa I and his elders offered Nana Akufo-Addo the best of receptions. Even though Nana Addo and his team arrived at the palace very late amidst heavy downpour, the King and his elders remained steadfast to receive him. 

Many people were shocked when the Overlord of Gonjaland through his Chief Linguist, Alhaji Afuli endorsed the campaign message of Nana Addo (the One district-one factory, one community-one dam and one constituency-one million dollars for development interventions) which he said had the potential to address the many challenges facing his people especially the teaming unemployed youth.

The Yagbonwura lamented that the Gonnjaland previously was making considerable progress, but now the whole area was retrogressing” and prayed for Nana Akufo-Addo to succeed in becoming the next President of Ghana to move the Gonjaland forward”.

The King said that even though President John Dramani Mahama had commendably constructed the Fufulso-Damongo-Sawla road for the people, their major challenge-which is the unavailability of potable water, was yet to be addressed; and charged Nana Addo to factor it into his plans when voted into power.

According to him, the NPP had already captured the entire Mamprusi areas where Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the NPP hailed from, and was still making serious invasion in most of the strongholds of the NDC in the Dagbon areas.

Mr. Bugri Naabu who questioned why President Mahama had been dodging Gonjas anytime he was in the Northern Region and had rather sent his Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amisah Arthur to go to the Gonja area to water grounds for him, said that, it was because President Mahama had failed to fulfill almost all the promises he made to his own people.

The NPP Chairman who has received a lot of commendation from many people especially on most of the local radio stations in Northern Region for his hard work and dedication to the NPP which reflected in the massive crowd received by Nana Addo in his recent tour, appealed to all Northerners to vote against President Mahama.

He said that Northerners have never suffered in the hands of any President than it was happening in the hands of President John Mahama, and therefore warned the people to put tribal sentiments aside and vote for a President who could turn their lives around.