By Melissa Sackey
The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, has cautioned against the use of media station closures as a punitive measure for regulatory breaches, warning of the implications for journalists’ livelihoods and press freedom.
He said the closure of media organisations affects not only the organisations involved but also journalists and other media professionals whose livelihoods depend on their operations.
Mr Dwumfour was speaking at the 30th GJA Media Awards at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, where he referred to remarks made by the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, on November 2, 2026, concerning the possible closure of politically and religiously affiliated media organisations.
The GJA President maintained that alleged regulatory breaches by media organisations should not automatically result in their closure, urging authorities to adopt measures that protect media operations while ensuring compliance with the law.
“The fact that a media organization may have breached a regulatory requirement should not automatically make the livelihood of its workers collateral damage,” he said.
“We must be careful not to create a situation in which the exercise of regulatory authority becomes an instrument that leaves journalists and other media practitioners without jobs.”
He also acknowledged Ghana’s 39th position in the 2026 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, describing it as an important indicator of the country’s standing in the protection of press freedom.
Mr Dwumfour stressed that public authorities must exercise their powers in ways that protect citizens’ rights and strengthen confidence in democratic governance.
“In a democratic society like ours, public authority must be exercised in a way that inspires confidence and reassures citizens that the power they entrusted to their leaders is not being used to trample upon their rights or diminish their freedom,” he said.
He reaffirmed the need for a media environment where journalists can work freely and responsibly without undue interference.
