The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) will on Thursday December 5, host winners of this year’s Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) awards at an evening forum at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra.

Also present at the forum will be the CNN Best African TV News Reporter and the AMI African Story Challenge Winner.

The forum is meant to provide an opportunity for the MFWA to appreciate the works of the award winners, and to engage them on the critical issue of internet freedom, which has significant implications for media work, free expression and indeed, all aspects of national development.

The forum will feature a presentation by Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor, one of Africa’s reputed computer engineers who pioneered internet development and expansion throughout Africa for nearly two decades. Prof. Quaynor is recognised globally for his pioneering works including the establishment of some of Africa’s first internet connections and helping to set up key organisations, including the African Network Operators Group and the African Internet Numbers Registry.

There will also be a presentation by the National Communications Authority on Internet Freedoms, Rights and Policy Issues in Ghana.

According to the MFWA’s Programme Officer for Research and Communication, Mrs Dora B. Mawutor, the forum forms part of ongoing initiatives by the MFWA to encourage and foster professional media standards. She noted that as a media rights and development advocacy organisation, the MFWA finds it important to have a platform for appreciating the works of some of the country’s best journalists.

Explaining the rationale for the focus on internet freedom at the event, Mrs Mawutor said: “Because of the critical role of the internet in all aspect of national development and also in journalism, it is quite crucial for journalists to have enhanced knowledge and understanding of internet issues. With a better understanding of internet issues, journalists will not only be in a position to effectively use the internet, they will also be in a position to support advocacy and dialogue on promoting policies that will contribute to expanding internet access and use without restrictions.