By: Joyce Kantam Kolamong
Plan International Ghana has emphasized the critical role of the media in holding those in power accountable to the people who voted them into office.
Speaking at the opening of a 3- day Annual Media Training Workshop in Tamale, Programmes and Influencing Manager, Eric Ayaba, stressed that vulnerable individuals vote in hopes of seeing positive change in their lives and underscored the importance of the media in championing the rights of these individuals and ensuring that power holders use their authority for the benefit of the people.
REPORT
Plan International Ghana is committed to promoting children’s rights, girls’ empowerment, and youth development, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.
The workshop, themed “Amplifying Community Voices: Storytelling with Integrity and Impact,” aims to equip media professionals with comprehensive knowledge of Plan International Ghana’s projects and initiatives.
Programmes and Influencing Manager, Plan International Ghana, Eric Ayaba, who opened the training on behalf of the Country Director, explained that Plan International Ghana views people as active participants in their own development, rather than passive beneficiaries and stressed the importance of informing, educating, and sensitizing citizens about their rights and responsibilities, particularly in the context of development.
He emphasized the need for collaboration between the media, civil society, and government to drive meaningful change.
“The only reason why we do politics should be development. The only reason why our vulnerable people get up and go to line up in the sun and vote is that they want to see a change in their lives and if the people who hold power will not use the power to benefit these people, the media must hold them accountable. The media must be the champions of the people who voted these people to power and that is a development issue which is important to Plan International and that is why we are engaging you”.
Mr. Ayaba said Plan International Ghana is both a development and humanitarian organization and highlighted the crucial role of the media in the global pledge for change.
“The pledge for change is aiming at ensuring that International bodies commit to allow local organizations to participate fully in the development and commit resources to building their capacity, commit resources to encouraging them to come out, commit resources to ensure those organizations become their own organizations to help their people. Any local media organization falls in line, so this pledge for change is aiming at supporting the building of local organizations because it is a true fact that any international organization that contributes to development will one day end it and we saw a clear example when Donald Trump took over. We were not expecting to see USAID go out”.
Participants were taken through topics such as Youth Engagement strategy, Gender transformative media reporting and Child Protection and Safeguarding Principles in reporting among others.
The workshop will include a field trip to rural communities in the North East region, where participants will see firsthand the impact of Plan International Ghana’s interventions in education, water, sanitation, and hygiene, among other areas.
