A lot of Ghanaian journalists’ futures are at risk

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has expressed serious concern about the inadequate salary and remuneration systems for journalists in the country.

He highlighted that issues of poor salaries significantly contributed to the low press freedom index in 2023.

Speaking at the second Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) dinner night in Accra on Thursday, Nkrumah urged media owners to ensure that journalists receive deserving remuneration, emphasizing that fair compensation enhances confidence in the media sector.

“If you look at the world press freedom index that was released in the year 2023, the single item that dragged Ghana down the most if you read the report in detail is the welfare and the economic conditions of journalists in Ghana.

“You and I who work in this industry know that there are many of our brothers and sisters who at
the end of the month don’t get a salary. Many don’t even get their statutory payment made on their behalf by their employers.”

“There are many who don’t have the necessary pension deductions made and saved in a pension fund for them for the day when they are no longer in active service. These are issues that we as journalists when you talk about your employers won’t be happy with you, these are issues that we must pay attention to.

“We like talking about the issues in other industries. But for once, let’s also pay attention to this issue in our industry,” he stated.