The government has held an engagement with the media aimed at sensitising journalists on Ghana’s newly-drafted National Security Strategy (NSS).

The engagement is the first of three sessions put together by the National Security Ministry and the Ministry of Information in taking broad-based inputs from relevant stakeholders, the media inclusive, on the implementation of the NSS.

The participants included journalists drawn from various television and radio networks in the Greater Accra, Central, Western, Volta, Western-North and Oti regions.

Addressing the participants, National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah said the government is using the engagements to primarily equip the media with the appropriate information on the document and how it will be implemented.

He emphasised the need for the media in the country to be circumspect in their daily reportage, especially on issues that have national security implications.

“The media, by definition, is an independent institution”.

“There is a limit to the role of other accountability institutions but for the media, it possesses the independence that enables it to hold the government to account”.

“It is a very important duty the media play, which is why we get concerned”, Mr Kan-Dapaah noted.

“That is why it is important that our media men and women don’t play with the security and stability of the country. Also, it is important that the media is able to do away with sensational stories that have very serious security implications and not because it will help to sell newspapers and get viewership”, he said.

The NSS document was launched on 7 June 2021 by President Akufo-Addo, as part of measures to coordinate national response efforts to protect and safeguard the country from threats, risks and challenges to its security and stability from both domestic and international environments.

For his part, the Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, whose ministry facilitated the engagement, underscored the need for extensive education and sensitisation on the content of the strategy.

He said the engagement is important because it provides stakeholders the opportunity to deepen their understanding of their roles in the implementation of the strategy.