Ghana - The Minister for Information, Honourable Mustapha Hamid and the Deputy Regional Minister for the Western Region of the Republic of Ghana, Honourable Ms. Gifty E. Kusi, have pledged their support to the Free Movements of Persons and Migration (FMM) West Africa project in Ghana that aims to train 80 frontline journalists on investigative journalism and ethical reporting on free movement of person and migration in West Africa.

The Minister for Information stated, “I am passionate about building the capacity of Ghanaian journalists because the media is instrumental in educating as well as objectively informing the citizenry.” Honourable Minister Mustapha Hamid further explained, “As a country we must educate our youth about the dangers associated with the perilous journey through the desert to reach Europe. It is always perceived that the grass is greener afar field hence the motivation to move, but I tell you it is greener at our feet.”

While in Takoradi, Western Region, the Non-State Actors monitoring team visited the Deputy Regional Minister, Honourable Ms. Gifty E. Kusi, to brief her on the project and the relevance of the training for the region due to its strategic location as an entry and exit route to Ghana by ECOWAS citizens. The Minister expressed appreciation to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the ECOWAS commission for the selection of the region for the training and pledged the support of the Regional Coordinating Council in ensuring a successful training of the journalists in the region.

Courtesy visits were a part of the monitoring and consultation with local stakeholders engaged in the implementation of the training of frontline journalists on investigative journalism and ethical reporting. The three-day training covered modules on the concept and definition of migration, human trafficking, the ethics of investigative journalism, and investigative reporting. The 24 journalists trained during the workshop in Takoradi were drawn from the membership of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), Ghana News Agency (GNA), and Information Service Department (ISD).

The team held consultations with other local stakeholders such as the Ghana Journalist Association, the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association and Ghana Immigration Command Office in Takoradi.

The IOM/FMM monitoring team in Ghana comprises members from the ECOWAS Commission, Albert Siaw-Boateng, Director of Free Movement and Tourism Directorate, Frantz Celestin, FMM West Africa Programme Manager, Eric Akomanyi, project focal point for Ghana and Yohanna Wandenje Gaja, FMM Project Staff.

The three-day training workshop is part of a series of trainings on investigative journalism taking place in Accra, Takoradi, Kumasi and Tamale and is currently implemented under the Non-State Actors Fund component of the “Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa” (FMM West Project) project, jointly funded by the European Union and the ECOWAS Commission.

For further information please contact Eric Kwame Akomanyi, the Non-State Actor Fund focal point in Ghana at eakomanyi@iom.int, Sidibe Taibatou, Non-State Actors Fund Coordinator at nsafund@fmmwestafrica.com or Yohanna Wandenje Gaja, FMM Project Staff at ygaja@iom.int.