President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to safeguarding press freedom and ensuring the protection of journalists across Ghana.
Speaking at the 29th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards held on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at the ManhyiaPalace in Kumasi, President Mahama said his administration will not tolerate any form of intimidation, interference, or attacks on media practitioners.
“The decline in our press freedom rankings is of worrying concern to all of us,” he noted. “In 2016 and 2017, we stood tall as a beacon of media independence in Africa. Our journalists worked without fear, and the public debate thrived. In recent years, I must say that promise has faded. The 2025 Press Freedom Index, reflecting the conditions of the press in 2024, recorded another unfortunate decline.”
The President expressed his resolve to change this narrative, assuring that his government will protect the media’s independence.
“Let me be unequivocal, under my leadership, this government will neither sanction nor tolerate any form of intimidation, interference, or attacks on journalists,” he said.
Mr. Mahama further pledged to restore the democratic and media environment Ghana enjoyed prior to 2017.
“We are committed to restoring the spirit of pre-2017, where freedom of expression, institutional respect, and journalistic safety characterised the Ghanaian democratic experience,” he emphasised.
The 29th GJA Awards, held under the theme “Safeguarding Ghana’s Future: The Role of the Media in Promoting Peace, Security and the Fight Against Galamsey,” celebrated excellence in journalism while drawing attention to the challenges confronting the profession.
The event, hosted for the first time outside Accra, brought together distinguished personalities, including Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, and members of the diplomatic corps.
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