Information Minister-designate, Fatimatu Abubakar and a delegation from the Ministry continued her media tour yesterday to engage with key media stakeholders in the industry to discuss some gains and address concerns of the Institutions.

She visited the Ghana Independence Broadcasters Association (GIBA), the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) and the New Crusading Guide. Hon. Abubakar commended the executives of the institution for their continuous support, and collaboration with the Ministry.

Hon. Abubakar discussed the Coordinated Mechanism on Safety of Journalists (CMSJ) and the Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP) as some key programmes undertaken by the Ministry to ensure a conducive regulatory environment to promote growth and innovation in the sector.

She acknowledged that there is a growing number of passionate and talented youth in Ghana who have not undergone any formal training in journalism but have taken up journalism roles.

She emphasised that these practicing journalists may not be conscious of the ethics of the profession and therefore, encouraged the Executives to take advantage of Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP) by the Ministry and enrol some of these individuals to be equipped with some professional training.

The Minister also encouraged media organizations to take advantage of the International Fund for Public Interest Media’s (IFPIM) 5million USD support fund to enhance their growth.

Mad. Abubakar indicated that the final draft of the broadcasting bill has been sent to the Attorney General’s office and will be sent to parliament for consideration after it has been validated by key stakeholders. She indicated that the Ministry will convene a stakeholder meeting to validate and hasten the process. She assured stakeholders that their views and opinion will be incorporated into the draft.

On their part, the executives of GIBA, PRINPAG and the New Crusading Guide Commended Hon. Abubakar for her efforts to improve the media space in Ghana and appealed for continuous resource support and advertising from government to sustain the print media operations.

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