By Philip Tengzu
Tamale (N/R), Oct. 23, GNA – Journalists and media practitioners have been urged to play an active role in educating the public on Ghana’s constitutional review process to help ensure informed public discourse on the review process.
The media has also been entreated to explain the implications of the recommendations in simple language and clearly distinguish between the positions of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC), the Government, civil society organisations (CSOs) and other groups of interest.
Dr Noah Ephraem Tetteh Adamtey, a legal practitioner and lecturer at the GIMPA Law School, said this in a presentation on the constitutional review process and recommendations at a media training held in Tamale, Northern Region.
The workshop was organised by Norsaac and the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), in collaboration with the Citizens Platform on Constitutional Reforms (CPCR).
It was aimed at deepening the participants’ understanding of key constitutional reform issues and strengthening accurate and informed media coverage of the reform process.
The day’s workshop training brought together Journalists and media practitioners from the five regions in the north.
It was premised on the principle that understanding the constitutional reforms was essential to ensuring informed public discourse and accurate media reporting towards shaping the country’s democracy.
Dr Adamtey, who was also a member of the CRC, said sustained public advocacy and mobilisation of citizens’ voices could influence the final outcome of the review process.
He said the positions of different parties involved, such as the government, CRC and CSOs, should not be presented as though they represented a single, unified stance to enable the citizens to make informed choices.
He urged the media to give a voice to the ordinary citizens and communities whose experiences and interests were directly affected by the Constitution, saying, “Within the conversation, the media should not allow politicians to set the agenda.”
Dr Adamtey also called for the deliberate inclusion of women, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups in public discussions to ensure that the review process reflected the concerns of the wider population.
Mr Mohammed Awal Alhassan, Executive Director of Norsaac, in his remarks, described the media as an influential body whose commitment to public education could determine how effectively citizens understood and engaged with the constitutional review process.
He said the media served as a mouthpiece for vulnerable groups and played a central role in democratic development, which made it an important partner in efforts to build national consensus around constitutional reforms.
Mr Alhassan observed that journalists and media practitioners could either help build public understanding and support for reforms or deepen uncertainty if they failed to communicate the issues clearly and accurately.
He said Ghana had initiated steps to review the 1992 Constitution for many years, but successive attempts failed to secure the national consensus required to implement significant changes.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Philip Tengzu, GNA
Reporter’s email: [email protected]