President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commended the media for its role in the coordinated fight against the coronavirus pandemic across the continent.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “we have recently had a good example of how the media can be a force for good, and that was manifested in how we have been dealing with COVID-19.”

Without a lively press that worked hand-in-hand to deliver not only the news about the outbreak of COVID-19, but also to communicate the strategies and public health messages that had been put in place around the continent, the President added that Ghana, and, indeed, Africa, would be telling a different story today.

“Journalists did and continue to do a yeoman’s job in the public education of the citizenry about COVID-19 and vaccination efforts across the continent. Journalists, in this instance, were, and are partners, to governments across the continent, and, through this joint effort, have helped save the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of African citizens. I pay homage to the efforts of journalists,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo made this known on Tuesday, 1st June 2021, when he delivered the keynote address at the Africa Journalists Leadership Conference, organised by the Federation of African Journalists, at the Alisa Hotel, in Accra.

With the diversity and free flow of news and information being fundamental to the healthy workings of any democracy, the President thanked journalists in Africa “for keeping our governments accountable. It is the media, above all, that has encouraged our people to become more and more discerning, vocal, and questioning as a civic public”. 

In addition to this, the President outlined three other matters of continental and national significance, for which he appealed for the committed partnership of governments and the media.

These, he said, are the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, the fight against Climate Change, including the preservation of the integrity of our environment and the sanctity of water bodies; and the fight against the illicit flow of funds from Africa.

“These are all menaces to the health, progress and stability of our nations and continent. We should stand shoulder to shoulder in ridding our continent and nations of them,” he added.