EU pledges to deepen support for media freedom, democracy
The Head of the EU Delegation to Ghana, Rune Skinnebach, has restated their commitment to support efforts at deepening press freedom, human rights and democracy.
He said the free press was essential in holding those in power accountable for the promotion of good governance.
Mr Skinnebach was sharing his thoughts on media and development during a familiarisation visit to the Graphic Communications Group Ltd head office in Accra.
The Editor, Graphic, Theophilus Yartey, received the ambassador and his team, who included the Deputy Head of Delegation, Jonas Claes, and the Press and Information Officer at the EU Office in Ghana, Abdul-Kudus Hussein.
The meeting was to enhance collaboration between the EU, a long-time partner of the government and the media house in reporting on EU development projects and initiatives in the country.
Support
Mr Skinnebach recalled his outfit’s long-standing relationship with the country and support in many sectors, and said European companies were not only the biggest investors in Ghana, but that the EU was also Ghana’s biggest export market and donor.
He expressed the EU's desire to strengthen partnerships and promote mutual understanding, particularly in areas such as infrastructure, sustainable growth, and clean cities.
“Europe is the biggest investor in Ghana. Europe is the biggest export market for Ghana. Europe is the biggest donor to the Government of Ghana.
“We don't put our sign on the public buildings that we finance, and we don't have our machinery labelled, but that is something that we may want to change, because we want Ghana to also understand that we are a reliable partner,” he said.
Press Freedom
The EU Ambassador also praised Ghana's respect for press freedom and encouraged the media to play its role as a watchdog, holding politicians to their words and ideals.
He also affirmed the EU's support for investigative journalism, local language news transmission, and fact-checking initiatives, acknowledging the challenges of disinformation and technical complexities posed in news reporting.
Ambassador Skinnebach further underscored the need for highly skilled journalists to navigate such complexities and promote awareness of EU initiatives in the country.
He also commended Graphic for maintaining a good image as one of the most respectable media institutions in the country, which was shaping journalism in the country.
Partnership
For his part, Mr Yartey said the media house had maintained good working relations with the EU over the years and was ready to partner them to improve awareness creation about EU initiatives, projects and programmes across the country.
He appealed to the EU to include the Daily Graphic and the media in general in its capacity-building programmes, particularly in the areas of investigative journalism, fact-checking and curbing of disinformation.
“During last year’s general election, we had to do some training on fact-checking. But, we realised that if we are able to train a trainer-of-trainers, we can sustain the knowledge sharing,” the Editor added.
Mr Yartey further urged the EU to continue its support to the media in the provision of equipment and machinery, especially laptops and cameras.
He expressed appreciation to the ambassador and his team for their visit to the Graphic Group, which he said was significant in deepening their relationship.
