Organising Secretary aspirant in the upcoming Ghana Journalists Association’s (GJA) elections, Maxwell Kudekor, has said that journalists in the various newsrooms must own the association.  

Interacting with journalists in Tema, he said: “The people in our newsrooms must own the GJA; there is a need to bridge the gap between the reporters and the national.”  

He said that when voted for, he would implore every newsroom with members up to 10 and above to set up chapters, have their executives, and run their affairs with support from the region and the national.  

He added that with such arrangements, it would be easy for the GJA to mobilise.

“If you want to organise an AGM, for instance, you liaise with the chapter, and with that, no one can say we did not form a quorum,” he said. 

The GJA Organising Secretary, hopeful, further noted that with a good strategy, they could mobilise their own funds and organise programmes.  

He therefore called on journalists to vote for people with experience and strategy to lead the association, stressing that he has those qualities, making him the best candidate for the organising secretary position.  

He said it was his vision to institute a legal regime system where GJA could collaborate with the Ghana Bar Association to assemble human rights lawyers on standby, who would be called upon to seek justice for GJA members in instances where journalists need legal support.  

Mr. Kudekor also admitted that there was a need for the GJA to consider issues of welfare, noting that the association started some welfare schemes but does not have the financial means to pay its monthly premium; therefore, there was a need to figure out a better way to fund it. 

“If we are paying dues on time, if we are paying GHS50, it should not be difficult to deduct GHS20 for insurance for journalists so that if tomorrow you go to an assignment and have an accident, the insurance company will take care of your needs,” he stated.

Mr. Kudekor is the current Eastern Regional Chairman of the GJA and works with The Multimedia Group Limited.