The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, has raised significant concerns regarding the inadequate salary and remuneration systems for journalists in Ghana.
Addressing attendees at the second Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) dinner night in Accra on Thursday, Nkrumah emphasized that the problem of poor salaries played a pivotal role in Ghana’s low press freedom index in 2023.
He urged media owners to prioritize fair compensation for journalists, noting that this is crucial for fostering confidence within the media sector.
In his speech, Nkrumah highlighted the alarming findings of the World Press Freedom Index for 2023, indicating that Ghana’s ranking was significantly affected by the challenging economic conditions faced by journalists in the country.
“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.
He underscored the harsh reality faced by many journalists, stating, “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 payments made on their behalf by their employers.”
Nkrumah also drew attention to the lack of necessary pension deductions for numerous journalists, emphasizing the importance of addressing these issues within the industry.
He called on journalists to focus on the welfare and economic conditions prevalent in their own profession, urging them to pay attention to these vital concerns.
“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 concluded.