Accra, May 8, GNA – Ghana has risen to 39th place out of 180 countries in the 2026 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, recording a score of 72.20 — its strongest performance in five years.
The improvement marks a significant recovery from its 52nd position in 2025 and reinforces Ghana’s reputation as one of Africa’s more resilient media democracies, where constitutional guarantees and practical realities continue to evolve side by side.
According to Mr Dominic Hlordzi, General Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the latest ranking is not an isolated achievement but the culmination of a five-year cycle of decline, stabilisation and renewed progress.
He explained that Ghana ranked 60th in 2022, dropped further to 62nd in 2023, recovered to 50th in 2024, declined again to 52nd in 2025, before rising sharply by 13 places to 39th in 2026.
“This trajectory reveals less a linear progression than a political and institutional recalibration — one marked by strain, adaptation and gradual correction,” he stated.
“Viewed through a broader analytical lens, Ghana’s press freedom journey over the period is best understood as a narrative of interrupted consolidation. The early decline between 2022 and 2023 was shaped by worsening economic conditions within the media sector and heightened concerns over journalist safety.
“This was followed by a phase of cautious stabilisation in 2024 and 2025, before the decisive rebound of 2026, suggesting an incremental restoration of confidence in the country’s media environment rather than a sudden transformation,” he added.
Within the African context, Mr Hlordzi said Ghana’s current position places it among the continent’s stronger performers on press freedom, alongside countries such as South Africa, Seychelles and Namibia.
“These states have consistently demonstrated comparatively stronger institutional protections for media independence. Ghana’s position now reflects a narrowing gap between itself and continental leaders, even as structural vulnerabilities remain,” he said.
Comparatively, he noted that Ghana’s constitutional protections for media freedom were stronger than those of Kenya, although both countries continued to face political influence and financial pressures within the media sector.
Nigeria, by contrast, remained lower in the global index due to regulatory pressures and persistent concerns over journalist safety. Morocco recorded moderate but tightly managed progress within a more controlled political communication environment, while South Africa maintained its leading position through a robust judiciary and deeply entrenched institutional safeguards for press freedom.
Mr Hlordzi attributed Ghana’s improved ranking largely to gains in its legal and political environment.
He said the constitutional framework continued to provide firm guarantees for press freedom, while the Right to Information Act had expanded formal access to public information. However, bureaucratic delays and procedural bottlenecks still limited the effective implementation of transparency laws.
Politically, he observed a modest improvement characterised by reduced direct interference in media operations. Nonetheless, the influence of politically connected media ownership structures remained a major concern, subtly affecting editorial independence in parts of the media landscape.
Economically, he said the media sector remained fragile. Despite the improved ranking, many media organisations continued to struggle with financial sustainability, uneven advertising markets and dependence on state advertising, often perceived as inconsistently distributed.
He noted that these structural weaknesses had contributed to low remuneration for journalists, institutional instability and, in some instances, the collapse of media outlets.
“Economic fragility remains one of the most profound threats to sustainable media independence in Ghana,” he stated.
Socially, Ghana continues to maintain one of the most diverse and vibrant media landscapes in West Africa, with numerous radio stations, television networks and digital platforms.
However, increasing political polarisation within media discourse is gradually eroding public trust, as sections of the public perceive some media outlets as politically aligned rather than institutionally neutral.
Journalist safety also remains a major concern. Although indicators show improvement compared to previous years, incidents of physical assault, harassment and weak prosecution of offenders continue to undermine confidence within the profession.
Journalists covering illegal mining, environmental degradation, corruption and governance failures remain particularly vulnerable, highlighting the gap between legal protections and practical enforcement.
Throughout the period, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), alongside organisations such as the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), and the National Media Commission (NMC), played key advocacy roles.
Mr Hlordzi said the GJA’s sustained engagement had helped keep issues of press freedom, journalist safety and professional standards within national discourse, even though institutional reforms had progressed unevenly.
Despite recent gains, he cautioned that Ghana’s progress remained fragile and not yet fully consolidated across all dimensions of press freedom.
He noted that although the legal environment was comparatively strong, enforcement remained uneven, leaving room for arbitrary application of some laws. While the political space was relatively open, media ownership structures continued to exert influence over editorial direction.
He added that although Ghana’s media landscape remained vibrant, it was economically vulnerable, while journalist safety — despite improvements on paper — continued to face practical challenges.
Mr Hlordzi emphasised the need for deeper structural reforms, including stronger protection systems for journalists, swift prosecution of attacks against media practitioners, greater transparency in state advertising allocations and stronger safeguards for the independence of regulatory institutions.
He also stressed the importance of developing sustainable financing models for media organisations to reduce political and state dependency.
“Yes, we can beat our chest and be proud, but Ghana’s rise to 39th position in the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index embodies a dual reality — achievement and caution, progress and fragility,” he stated.
“It is a story of democratic resilience expressed through data yet tempered by structural limitations that continue to shape the lived experience of journalism. Ultimately, it is not a destination, but a moment of ascent within an unfinished journey toward fully consolidated media freedom,” he added.
GNA
Edited by Audrey Dekalu