( A GNA feature by: Mohammed Nurudeen Issahaq)

Accra, Jan. 26, GNA – Without a shred of doubt the emergence of the Internet, the digital revolution, the proliferation of new forms of media and the rise of online social networks have reshaped the media landscape both locally and globally. So, are national news agencies such as the Ghana News Agency (GNA) still relevant in a world ruled by the Internet? With the option to simply go on to the net and access whatever news or information one may require, do subscribers and readers still need news agency files? This specific question would be addressed in here later, but for now a general look at the issues at stake.
Historically, state-owned news agencies in Africa were established around the independence era and were seen to be playing an important role in nation building, as well as galvanizing citizen support for the ruling government. The national news agency was well catered for then, and was accorded due consideration in the allocation of resources. Today, however, the story is not exactly the same. Throughout Africa, national news agencies appear to have lost the support of their respective governments; they are now given the kind of treatment one would give an analogue gadget on the acquisition of a digital version, and are apparently being regarded more as liabilities than national assets.
As if that is not enough, the wider society whose interest the news agencies have relentlessly championed over the decades neither seems to know nor appreciate the effort.
National news agencies are relatively unknown to the majority of the people, and their problems do not attract the same intensity of attention as the problems of the audio-visual media. In deed, even among the relatively enlightened segment of society, a vast majority are yet to comprehend the relevance/workings of the news agency. There was this interesting incident when a man in a heated argument with a journalist from the Ghana News Agency, burst out sarcastically: “You say you are from GNA. You GNA people, where is your Graphic?” What the man actually meant was that the GNA had no publication of any sort, so it had no place on the list of media houses that mattered in the country.
That angry man is not alone as far as this perception is concerned. Once in a while you come across senior public servants, including Members of Parliament and Ministers of State (no offence intended) who display the same lack of understanding about the operations/importance of the nation’s Number-One wire service – which is quite understandable. Almost all national news agencies in Africa do not provide television coverage, yet television is the one thing to which most people are exposed in the contemporary era. The appeal of television cuts across the entire society, making it the most preferred medium by all – farmers, doctors, marketwomen, students and, above all, politicians to mention but a few. There have been occasions when public functions have been put on hold because the television crew invited to cover the event has not arrived on time. To most politicians, especially, the television holds the key to fame.
Challenges:
The plight of news agencies anywhere on the African continent today is identical and unenviable. In times gone-by the national news agency was ranked alongside the national flag, the national anthem and the national airline in terms of importance. They were the hub for well trained professional staff, about three-quarters of whom have had to leave subsequently mainly because of poor conditions of service. The wages they offer have tended to be considerably lower compared to those given by private newspapers or other independent media organizations that pay more respectable wages.
The subventions most national news agencies receive monthly are barely enough to keep them operating efficiently. There was an occasions when all printing works in a particular news agency had to come to a standstill for several weeks simply because the printers had run out of toner and the office could not afford to purchase any. Even the most ignorant appreciates the importance of mobility in the news-gathering effort yet in another shocking instance, one of the few operational vehicles of a national news agency had to be parked for a whole month for no other reason than the lack of a battery whose cost did not exceed 250 Ghana Cedis.
Technologically, most of Africa’s national news agencies lack the resources to buy up-to-date equipment, or to maintain and upgrade what they have. Telecommunication links are slow and unreliable, and in many instances clients have difficulty in establishing connectivity or gaining access to news agency material.
Also, there is virtually no budget for providing in-house training for news agency staff, and in the specific case of the GNA, opportunities offered by other organisations such as UNESCO and Friedrich Ebert Foundation for training their personnel sometime ago were quite beneficial. In recent times, however, even those cherished opportunities extended by international organizations have become few and far between. The last time the GNA held a training/refresher workshop for reporters was in 2005. Simply put, the plight of the national news agency in the majority of African countries today can be likened to that of the proverbial orphan, with very little thought about its existence.
Possible Remedies:
Diversification is one avenue by which national news agencies could gain a new lease of life. Reuters news agency provides a shiny example in this regard, with less than five per cent of its revenue accruing from the sale of general news to traditional news media. Most of the rest come from its specialized services. To achieve this, however, news agencies have to become more professional which, in turn, requires substantial investments in building the capacity of staff and in the acquisition of more efficient technology. The issue of diversification is essentially linked to professionalism as there is a critical need for more training in specialized fields.
Another point worth considering is that of effective collaboration and cooperation among news agencies in areas that could provide the potential to generate revenue for the benefit of all partners. Initiatives such as the WANAD (West African News Agency Development) and CEANAD (Central and East Africa News Agency Development) projects could be well positioned for such collaboration if they would become more proactive and well focused, particularly on the issue of finding solutions to the problems that threaten the existence of national news agencies in their various sub-regions. The example presented by Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) which emerged from a strategic merger between the Caribbean News Agency (CANA) and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) is another case worthy of mention.
It is useful to recognize that commercial activities can be of benefit by helping agencies to achieve greater financial and possibly editorial independence, and helping them compete against private media organisations. However, commercial activities should not in any way impede the basic mission of news agencies, which is to report on and to distribute news about the nation as a whole, for the benefit of local and international news consumers.
More importantly, government funding should be both adequate and continuous, to ensure that that basic mission of a national news agency is fulfilled. Inadequate financing destroys the usefulness of the news product, and undermines the credibility of both the news agency and the government whose responsibility it is, in these circumstances, to support it. Obviously, therefore, financial autonomy of news agencies stands to benefit governments by relieving them of a huge responsibility.
Many news agencies have been constitutionally or legally inhibited from venturing into commercial services. Such impediments need to be reviewed and if possible removed, provided that national news agencies continue to perform public service functions in the interests of the nation and the nation’s media. In 1999, under the Public Sector Management Reform Programme (PSMRP) initiated by the ruling Government then, there were plans to re-tool and re-capitalise the GNA to enable it to stand on its feet, after which the Government would take it off the dole. The idea, laudable as it was, has since died away.

The danger of relegating or sidelining national news agencies has become greater now more than ever before, considering the growing economic challenges facing governments across Africa and the world. It is high time, therefore, that an advocacy campaign was waged to draw society’s attention to this threat of extinction and to persuade influential persons, countries and governments that are in the process of abandoning their national news agencies to appreciate the fact that contrary to any misconceptions out there, the agencies do have an important role to play. Regular meetings could be arranged in each country between important stakeholders including media experts, civil society and politicians, at which the importance of saving the national news agency from extinction would be articulated. Significantly, the National Media Commission and its counterparts across Africa which are the constitutional bodies mandated to ensure social responsibility and high professional standards in the media, also ought to get involved in the advocacy.

The essential point of emphasis here should be that there is no substitute for a national news agency, and that retail news media are hardly substitutes for national news agencies acting in the national interest. They can and do provide important functions that benefit governments, nations, organisations and the citizenry – functions that are not easily substitutable by other institutions. Invariably, commercial media tend to give more consideration to the profit aspect of the news business than pursing the concerns of rural or marginalised populations; yet for many decades to come the majority of Africans will continue to be rural dwellers. Besides, national news agencies are ever so important in providing a full and balanced picture of their respective countries to clients both locally and overseas.
Now, back to the question raised at the beginning of this write-up. The Internet is indeed a great device but it does not generate information automatically. Consider an important newsworthy event such as the submerging of people’s houses and farmlands due to heavy floods that occurred in 2007 at Yikpabongu and other villages in the “Overseas” area of West Mamprusi District in the Northern Region. How would news about that catastrophe get posted on the Internet except for the GNA reporter or stringer on the ground there who forwards the story to the Regional Office in Tamale, from where it is transmitted to headquarters in Accra! Only then would other media networks including GhanaWeb be able to have access to that particular news story. So, take the News Agency file out of the equation and there would be very little or nothing at all left of the Internet as far as local news is concerned.
The scenario in the Internet versus News Agency question presents pretty much the same kind of argument over supremacy between the lake and the rain god in a native folklore. To resolve the issue, the rain god eventually decides to demonstrate his might by withholding rainfall for a number of months, resulting in the lake’s near extinction – and compelling it to render a quick apology.

GNA

Rockson

The questionable sacking of Martin Amidu, the former Attorney General and the recent resignation of his predecessor Betty Mould-Iddrisu, the former Attorney General/Education Minister are ominous indications of the NDC imploding. The Woyomegate saga coupled with the vivid corruption amongst the NDC is an albatross weighing down the NDC.

The Africans by their negative characteristics have inadvertently enslaved themselves. They have become subhuman in the eyes of their White contemporaries. The physical shackles of slavery in which the Whites bound, and exported our ancestors to the American West Coasts to work on sugar plantations were broken many years back. However, the Black African is still awash in negative attitudes that continue to enslave them mentally.

I have a feeling that one day the black African will break free of the shackles of mental slavery. They will realise that their subjugation is self-made. They will no longer see racist remarks about them as untruths but facts that need addressing. Once the Blackman accepts the reality no matter how painful and derogatory they are, and finds solutions, they will be free forever.

The African politicians lack in farsightedness and wisdom. They are insatiably greedy, selfish and corrupt. They see politics as an arena to enrich themselves rather than being of selfless service to their nation and people. They always lord it over the governed.

I have a feeling that one day, the greedy African politicians will realise their mistakes. They will not continue in their evil ways until thy Kingdom come. The outpouring of public anger at their incompetence, greediness, selfishness and short-sightedness will be enough to effect positive changes in them.

The multitudinous actions and omissions by the Black African have empowered their politicians to embezzle funds. As impoverished as the Continental Africa is, their politicians still have that shameless audacity to continue to siphon the scare funds at their countries’ disposal abroad to place in their private accounts. The combined actions of the politician and the governed inflict further impoverishment on Africa, thereby reducing the ego of the Blackman as a force to reckon with.

I have a feeling that one day, the majority or the entirety of Africans will wake up; wipe off the moat and specks from their bloated eyes to see clearer. Their minds will open up and they will reason like wise men or human beings. When that day comes, Africans in unison will take their leaders through the iron-cast detector of probity, transparency and accountability to weed out the disgraceful bad nuts. That process of scrutinizing the African leaders will be the beginning of their dream to achieving their real socio-economic emancipation.

In Africa in general, and Ghana in particular, fellow citizens are fond of aiding and abetting crime. When a public servant or government official is knowingly engaged in a crime, his fellow workers or townsmen find it difficult to expose him but rather shield him. This person will be squandering the money or misusing the public property entrusted to him. Anyone who attempts to tip the authorities off about the illegal engagements of the fraudster becomes rather the enemy of the public. I find it hard to comprehend such behavioural attitude that conflicts logical reasoning.

I have a feeling that one day, the Black African will rise above ignorance, stupidity and self-inflicted underestimation of intelligence to behave responsibly as human beings. He will not connive and condone crime but learn to expose one another’s evilness to better shape their future to bring about glory onto themselves and Mother Africa. When this day comes, Blacks will no longer see themselves as inferiors purposely created as such by God to entertain the Whites, but rather their actions and inactions were the cause of their current psychological dehumanization.

In Ghana, the diversity of the ethnicity of the society is militating against the socio-economic progress of the country. The social cohesion of the various tribes has now been very fragile, a problem threatening the foundation of Ghana as a country of one people, one nation and with a common destiny. There are periods when jobs are offered not on merit but on whom you know and especially, which tribe you belong. Such were the frequent occurrences under the administration of Former President Rawlings and still happening under President Mills.

I have a feeling that sooner than later, Ghanaians will realise the negative effects of wanton nepotism, tribalism and unflinching but erringly unreasonable partisan support on society as a whole. They will shun the disastrous individualistic tendencies to pursue collective aspirations that augur well for the survival and advancement of a society.

I have a feeling that one day, the Ghanaian NDC foot soldiers, political activists and sympathisers, will reason and behave responsibly as normal human beings. They will not hit the road in their numbers demonstrating in defence of Alfred Agbesi Woyome, a swindler who has duped Ghana to the tune of GHC58 -92 Million.

I have a feeling that the NDC will realise they cannot continue to take Ghanaians for granted. They cannot continue to steal from Ghanaians and still expect them to renew their mandate to rule for the next four years starting from December 2012. The NDC sympathisers will rise above sheer party fanaticism that has clouded their common sense.

I have a feeling that a day is coming when Ghanaians will find out the real Atta Mills. Ghanaians will no longer allow President Mills to deceive them by his outward show of quietness that they erroneously take for his religiosity. Ghanaians will oblige President Mills and his chain of incompetently corrupt Ministers to account for their lordship instead of stewardship to Ghana.

I have a feeling that Ghana will soon be relieved of the burden of incompetent, lying, corrupt and myopic NDC ruling them to end the politics of insults and doubt.

I have a feeling that all discerning Ghanaians will appreciate the sensible efforts we are making to compel Alfred Agbesi Woyome to vomit the money he has squandered from the Consolidated Fund.

Rockson Adofo

…. Decoupling of AG’s Department and Ministry of Justice.

Circumstances surrounding the dismissal of Attorney General, Hon. Martin Amidu, following his allegations of “gargantuan” corruption against an unnamed fellow cabinet member and the subsequent resignation of Education Minister, Betty Mould Iddrisu, a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, under whose watch the controversial Woyome judgement debt payment was made, brings to the fore the fragile governance infrastructure on which the country has been administered since 1992.

While the appointment and removal of ministers remain the exclusive prerogative of the President, which he has dutifully exercised in the case of Martin Amidu, the President is enjoined, in accordance with good governance practice to investigate the allegations of huge economic crimes against the Republic of Ghana, made by the sacked Attorney General.

I am convinced that, the departure of the two cabinet ministers from government within a period of one week, if thoroughly investigated would confirm the need to decouple the Office of the Attorney General and that of the Minister of Justice. Unfortunately it does not appear President Mills is in any mood to look into the Martin Amidu allegations; and the reasons are obvious. The President is doing all he can to save his government from imminent collapse at the 2012 general elections.

It is recalled that in the course of collecting views of Ghanaians on aspects of the 1992 constitution that needed to be amended, as part of the constitutional review process, proponents of the decoupling of the AG’s Office from that of the Minister of Justice made a strong case. They cited party loyalty as one of the reasons why an A-G and Minister of Justice would not enthusiastically prosecute his or her colleague member of the executive even in the face of obvious wrong doing.

Opponents of the separation including some three former Attorneys General namely Dr. Yao Obed Asamoa, Messrs. Ayi koi Otoo and Joe Ghartey insisted then, that, there were enough safeguards in the constitution to ensure the AG worked independently without interference. If the President wields the power to hire and fire the AG and Minister of Justice as demonstrated in the Martin Amidu case, where are the safeguards?

Surely, if there were any safeguards, independence and or mechanism in the constitution that allowed the AG to withstand the frowns and smiles of the President, Martin Amidu would not have been sacked for some misconduct which has not been fully disclosed. But the hint given by Director of Communications at the Presidency, captioned in the media as “nobody takes the president for granted” gives the impression that Mr. Amidu was sacked for being bold enough to tell the President “I’m sorry Mr. President, you can not have your way in this matter’.

If, after telling the President this, there were any safeguards, that would have allowed the AG to remain in office to prosecute the perpetrators of the alleged crimes, then the former Attorneys General would be right. Unfortunately because the entire drama at the Presidency has not been disclosed, Ghanaians have been left with no option but to believe that, Mr. Amidu’s attempt to be independent was misconstrued to mean “taking the President for granted”. If that is so, then, the three former AGs got it wrong, when they insisted there are any safeguards.

In view of this case in point, I think the time is right, to take seriously, calls for the separation of the AGs from the Ministry of Justice as have been made, by the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) among others over the years.

Now that President Mills has benefited from the status quo, it is doubtful if he will initiate the process of separation as recommended in aspects of the Constitutional Review commission’s report submitted to him recently. The good news though, is that, the next President, Dr. papa Kwesi Nduom and the Progressives in their ten point agenda for the transformation of Ghana, remain committed to taking steps to have the two portfolios decoupled to ensure democracy, good political governance and the rule of law without let or hindrance in Ghana.

William Dowokpor

Parliamentary Candidate

Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency.

Contact: 0243588422.

Mr. President, “Young Democrat” a grass roots NDC group of young men and women, will like to coddle your attention for a few minutes despite your busy schedules and your determination to execute the affairs of our dear nation.

“Young Democrat” members are privileged and humbled to write you these few words though representing the voices of the larger masses of young men and women in our strong holds across the country, especially in the Northern sector and Volta regions. Remember, if we do not come to vote in 2012 and protect ballot boxes, NDC will lose the elections.. So please read or petition and take it seriously.

Your Excellency, our main concern has to do with recent difficulties which seem to blemish the image of the government as well as our precious NDC party. Larger masses of young men and women across the country believe that these difficulties kept on coming simply because of improper government communication apparatus. Therefore members of “Young Democrat” and grass roots men and women of NDC believes that it is necessary to upgrade government communication apparatus so that we can minimise sour communication between government and party grass roots level.

Mr. President, we are appealing to you to invite more experienced people into your government to strength the communication apparatus and the government’s image. We believe men like Hon. Mike Gizo, and Hon. Spio-Garbrah have the pedigrees as well as capacity to bridge the communication gaps between government, NDC grass roots members and also Ghanaian population as a whole, . Maybe, other men like Dr Tony Aidoo and Excellency Victor Smith and Lee Ocran too need to be given more visible frontline portfolios so they can make up for those who have had to leave the government. Those ministrs who have stayed in the same portfolios since 2009 need something new in their lives to become more active.

We are in particular concerned that at time when Ghana is playing in CAN 2012 soccer tournament, we are unable as Ghana or NDC to put our best players on the field. Meantime, our opponents are scoring many goals against us with Wayomegate , etc. If Abedi Ayew or Asamoah Gyan are ready to help Ghana at CAN 2012, should the coach consciously leave them on the bench and field weaker players? Hon, Dr. Spio-Garbrah, for example, from Wikepedia, as a Minister of Communication of Ghana, from 1997 to 1998 initiated, developed and implemented policies and programmes that supported the increasing convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting, the Internet, publishing, news media and postal services, all of which were under his supervision. Concurrently, as chairman of the National Communication Authority, he had responsibility for regulating all aspects of the telecom, Internet and broadcasting sectors. We as Ghanaians all saw that Hon, Dr. Spio-Garbrah, as an ambassador to the United States from 1994 to 1997, became successful in rebuilding Ghana’s image across the USA, including organising an unprecedented record-breaking eight-city investment promotion programme for Ghana’s president in the USA. As a result partly of the successful bilateral programmes he executed, Ghana became the first country to be visited by U.S. president Bill Clinton during his famous five-country Africa visit in 1998. This visited of president Bill Clinton helped to make Ghana a recipient of the Millennium Challenge Account. Mr. President, we think it is a shame that an honest, hard working man like Martin Amidu had to leave your government. Also sorry that Hon Betty Mould’s departure has reduced the female ratio in government and Cabinet. Mrs Nana Rawlings, also an Ashanti woman, can come and replace Mrs Idrissu. Someone like Alhaji Huudu Yahayaj, who understands the party very well, can also be brought to the field. So can Gilbert Iddi. A man like Hon, Dr. Spio-Garbrah, who has enormous knowledge in communication, business, ICT, banking and diplomacy, and loved by the youth, will be good to include in the government in almost any good role. Dr. Spio-Garbrah is an asset to Ghana as well as NDC and we will be happy to see him in government soon if NDC wants to win election 2012..

Thanks very much your Excellency

By Prince Charles Dickson

“What food might this contain?” The mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed this warning: “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”

The pig sympathized, but said, “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it.”

The mouse turned to the cow and said, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”

The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap…alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house – the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it. It was a venomous snake whose tail was caught in the trap. The snake bit the farmer’s wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital. When she returned home she still had a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup. So the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. But his wife’s sickness continued.

Friends and neighbours came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

But, alas, the farmer’s wife did not get well…she died. So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them for the funeral luncheon.

And the mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

The Igbos say onye aghana nwanne ya meaning your neighbour’s challenge should be of some concern to you!

The Zulu’s puts it in this way, “Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu”: “A person is a person because of people.” Other translations state “a person is a person through other persons.” In either case, this compelling truth about what it means to be a “human” in the Afrikan context reveals the wisdom of our ancestors and the tremendous beauty of our way.

In a word it is the spirit of Ubuntu. Ubuntu: the spirit of reciprocal living that luminously envelops a community in healing energy radiating from the hearts of interdependent human spirits sharing, and loving.

Archibishop Desmond Tutu further explained Ubuntu as the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.

How will Patience Jonathan feel if either of her kids, relatives lost a leg or limb in Madalla, how would she feel if she lost an in-law was killed in Kano, would it make more sense if any occupant in Aso Rock on assignment to Yola was butchered?

Do our leaders behave like the chicken, like the pig, like the cow, after all they all have security votes, and they can afford to ride in bullet proof vehicles purchased at the taxpayers’ expense.

Is there any semblance of Ubuntu in the elite we call leaders, they are well versed in condolence visits and messages, experts in on-the-spot assessment, but they do very little to prevent the avoidable.

In recent times we have had the Solomon Lar panel, Shiekh Lemu commission, and specific ones for Kaduna, and Borno, but even when they are made public, there is no effort or will in putting the recommendations or findings to work.

No one cares up there, just rhetoric…Its either they are on top of it and the killings take place under, or they are bringing it under control after it has happened. Will we witness a difference in approach if the Senate President is kidnapped of governor attacked and killed?

Already the feeling for Boko Haram is deadly divided regarding their targets, many are now saying leave the poor masses and attack the ruling class. No one is being brought to book; no one is facing the wrath of the law.

According to an NTA report monitored by burningpot.com, they called the Bayelsa Explosion in Tombia dynamites, not bombs; my humble question, if the president’s uncle was blown to shreds by it, would it have mattered if it was a bomb or dynamites.

The conspiracy theorists are spinning the theories in their dozens, when it capitulates, it will touch all of us. We need each other, we either retrace our steps now or it may be too late, the occupy Nigeria dance was just a tip.

Our leaders need us to lead, rule or govern, even the monies they steal, they still need us to impress, to suppress, and they cannot be in isolation. They can’t be human all by themselves, and the earlier they see the mousetrap the better, sooner or later, the bomb may not just be an ordinary citizen, time will tell.

NB

The Concerns of a rat was told me by ‘Dozie Kaidi Obiaku