Story by Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, has appealed to members of the inky fraternity to close their ranks and bury their differences for the betterment of the association.
Mr. Dwumfour explained that the transformational agenda for the association, coupled with the insatiable quest by the current national executives to restore the GJA to its former enviable position on the globe, calls for an urgent need for all hands to be on deck.
The GJA President made the appeal at the opening ceremony of the maiden retreat organised for the national executive body of the association at the plush Mount Pleasant Inns Hotel and Apartment at Obosomase in the Eastern region.
“Members nationwide should be united to build the association. The new executives alone cannot do it, so each and every one of us must lend a hand to support in building the association to a great height,” Mr. Dwumfour reiterated.
He emphasised that the new national executives are determined to leave a legacy in the face of the current challenges, adding that, it is the reason the executive body has agreed to hold the retreat twice a year to assess the progress of the various programmes and projects.
Mr. Dwumfour said the holding of the retreat signifies how the new executive body attaches seriousness to the mandate bestowed on them by the general body of the association.
The GJA President re-emphasised that journalists’ welfare, which was at the topmost of his campaign message, will feature prominently during the 3-day retreat.
He announced that Journalist Support Fund will be instituted to address the needs of journalists whilst also ensuring a sustainable salary regime for journalists with the support of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), and the Private Newspapers Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG).
The GJA President added that this dovetails into the Media Development Agenda where journalists would receive training in order to enhance their capacity and be abreast of the new trends in the profession.
Mr. Dwumfour urged all media practitioners to rally their support for the transformational agenda of the executives in order for the GJA to be placed on an enviable pedestal.
The Chancellor of Winsconsin University College Ghana, Rev. Dr. Paul Kofi Fynn, who was the chairman of the ceremony, called on the members of the media to use their profession to promote and market Ghana on the international stage.
“The pen is very powerful than a gun, so you should use it to write pieces of stuff that promote Ghana positively.”
“Make sure you promote Ghana, make sure you balance your stories by putting Ghana first,” he explained.
Rev. Dr. Fynn also advised the media to eschew unprofessionalism, stressing that “for the sake of Ghana, let us not be stomach journalists, let us continue to write good stories about Ghana”.
Present at the short ceremony were: the Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr. George Sarpong; Akuapemhene who was represented by Lawyer Addo Yobo; the Director General of GBC, Prof. Amin Alhassan; Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper and PanAfrica TV, Mr. Kwesi Pratt.
The rest are the President of the Private Newspaper Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), Mr. Edwin Arthur; and the President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Mr. Cecil Sunkwa-Mills.