…Partner Speaker to Push Bill on Journalists’ Welfare, Certification
By Prince Ahenkorah
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) is partnering with Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin to pursue a Private Member’s Bill aimed at improving journalists’ working conditions and establishing a professional certification framework for practitioners in Ghana.
The proposed legislation is expected to provide basic conditions of service for journalists, improve their economic welfare and establish professional and ethical standards within the media industry.
The initiative was discussed when a GJA delegation, led by its President, Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor, paid a courtesy call on the Speaker ahead of the 30th GJA Awards.
Dwumfuor said the proposed bill was necessary to address the economic challenges confronting journalists, which he identified as one of the factors affecting Ghana’s performance on the World Press Freedom Index.
“We are ready to partner in sponsoring that Private Member’s Bill to look at an improved working condition for journalists,” he said.
He explained that journalists’ economic circumstances, alongside physical attacks, contributed to concerns about press freedom, adding that improved welfare could help strengthen the media’s independence and Ghana’s standing on the index.
Bagbin welcomed the proposal and pledged to lead efforts in Parliament to secure legislation that would guarantee journalists basic conditions of service.
He argued that journalists required adequate financial support to perform their watchdog role without depending on individuals and institutions they were expected to scrutinise.
The Speaker also emphasised the need for a professional certification and chartering framework to formalise standards within the journalism profession.
“And so at the end of the day, we need to have a charter where ethics and other things matter. Before you are certified, you must go through that,” he said.
Bagbin cited other professional bodies, including the Institute of Directors and groups representing public relations practitioners, administrators and managers, as examples of organisations pursuing legislative backing for their professional standards.
He said Parliament was prepared to support professional groups seeking legislation to formalise their certification and chartering systems.
The proposed framework for journalists is expected to define professional requirements, promote ethical conduct and strengthen accountability in Ghana’s media landscape.