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Charges against UTV invaders woefully minimal – GJA, PRINPAG, GIBA
Mr Dwumfuor briefing the press Photo Victor A. Buxton
Leadership of three media unions have described as woefully minimal, charges imposed on individuals that invaded the studios of UTV to disrupt its late night entertainment show, Universal Showbiz.
The unions include the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) and the Private Newspaper and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG).
The individuals were convicted and fined GH¢2,400 each for conspiracy to commit crime and rioting by an Achimota Magistrate Court on Tuesday.
Addressing a joint press conference in Accra on Wednesday in reaction to the punishment, the three unions said the charge was not enough to serve as deterrent to people who attack journalists.
Led by the President of the GJA, Mr Albert Dwumfour said the charges were minimal and soft-handed.
According to the GJA President, the charge of conspiracy to commit crime and rioting, which formed the basis for the imposition of the fine on the suspects by the court, was not far-reaching and thorough enough.
He doubted why charges including unlawful entry, rioting, rioting with weapons, assault and battery, causing harm and threat of harm were not preferred against them.
That, he said could result in the imposition of stiffer punishments and deter others from attacking journalists.
He appealed to the judiciary to consider offences against the media as aggravating with the tendency to put fear in the media, leading to self-censorship and promotion of culture of silence.
The associations, Mr Dwumfour stated, would consider supporting the affected members to either urge the prosecution to consider appealing against the sentence or criticise the decision of the court.
While condemning the recent attack on the Citi TV/FM journalist by supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Odododiodoo constituency, he called on the police to act swiftly and arrest the culprits to ensure they face the law.
The GIBA President, Mr Cecil Thomas Sunkwa-Mills, also called on media organisations to provide appropriate protective gears to journalists in order to guard their safety in line of duty.
According to Mr Sunkua-Mills, protective gears such as helmets, bulletproof vests, gas masks, or first aid kits would protect their staff and
ensure they were free from attacks especially heading into the general elections in 2024.
Mr Sunkwa-Mills indicated that, journalists must also take their personal security into their own hands and stay away from danger while carrying out their assignments.
“Let us focus on in-house safety. It is important to take personal responsibility by using appropriate gears,” he stated.
He also asked journalists to report threats and harassment to their organisation, police, local authorities and relevant press freedom organisations.
The Acting (Ag) Executive Secretary for PRINPAG, Mr Jeorge Wilson Kingson, said the fine was small and fell short of serving its intended purpose of deterring miscreants from repeating such acts.
PRINPAG, he noted, was committed to the protection of journalists and the safeguarding of media freedom in Ghana, adding that “we stand united in our resolve to promote a society that respects and upholds the rights of media personnel
By Michael D. Abayateye
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
