President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on the media in Africa to help fight terrorism, violent extremism and illicit flow of funds from the continent.
He also urged the media to fight climate change, including the preservation of the integrity of the environment and the sanctity of water bodies.
He said these are threats 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.”
President Akufo-Addo said this on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 when he delivered a speech at the Africa Journalists Leadership Conference, organised by the Federation of African Journalists in Accra, Ghana.
He said the issues were of continental and national significance and, therefore, appealed to governments and the media in Africa to partner to rid the continent of those cankers.
He also commended the media for its role in the coordinated fight of the coronavirus across the continent.
“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,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo said without a lively press that worked hand-in-hand to deliver not only the news about the outbreak of COVID-19 and also to communicate the strategies and public health messages that had been put in place around the continent, the story would have been different today.
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.”
Patience Anaadem, ISD
