Media outlets are to be supported by the government to produce high-quality content, the Minister of Information-designate, Madam Fatimatu Abubakar, has said.
The Minister-designate said this at a meeting in Accra with a team from Deutsche Welle (DW) Akademie, a German organization for international media development, to discuss issues of importance to the country’s media.
She disclosed that as part of the attempts to assist media outlets in obtaining bursary assistance for their work, her organization initiated a three-year process to have the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) establish an office in the country.
She noted with concern the economic challenges being encountered by the media in recent times and expressed the hope that the support from the IFPIM Ghana Office, would boost the work of journalists, more so the nation prepares for this year’s general election.
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As part of the host nation agreement, she said the government would also extend diplomatic courtesies to enable the organisation to operate freely in the country.
She commended DW for being in the Ghanaian media landscape and supporting its development over the year
The Minister-designate revealed that there are over 700 registered radio stations in the country, 550 being active, and about 100 active television stations on Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) systems.
“Generally, there is a lot of conflict in the media space. The media houses really need some help, especially in capacity training and other activities of the media to enhance the quality of work”, she stated.
The leader of the DW team, Natascha Schwanke, indicated that the visit was to deepen collaboration between the German organisation and the Information Ministry as DW was into media growth.