President Mahama Warns of Declining International Rankings

President John Dramani Mahama has expressed serious concern over Ghana’s deteriorating position in global media freedom rankings, calling for urgent action to restore the country’s reputation as Africa’s beacon of press freedom.

During the meeting with the Ghana Journalists Association at the Presidency today 5th September, 2025, President Mahama acknowledged the troubling trend that has seen Ghana slip significantly in international media freedom assessments.

“We’ve seen a consistent decline in our ranking, international rankings, and that is an issue of concern for us,” the President stated, highlighting the gravity of the situation facing Ghana’s media landscape.

Root Causes of Decline:

The President identified several critical factors contributing to Ghana’s falling rankings, with journalist safety being a primary concern.

“Part of it is because of issues to do with harassment of journalists, and even the unfortunate murder of Ahmed Suale, which caught international attention,” President Mahama explained, referencing the investigative journalist whose killing shocked the nation and drew global scrutiny.

The President noted that subsequent incidents have further damaged Ghana’s international standing. “I think that since then, other incidents that have occurred, have, you know, diminished our ranking,” he said.

Call for Accountability and Education:

Emphasizing the need for consequences, President Mahama stressed the importance of deterrent measures against those who target journalists.

“We need to find a way of one ensuring that people, when they do that kind of thing, face sanctions or are punished, because once there’s no deterrent, they continue to do it,” the President declared.

Beyond punishment, the President called for broader educational initiatives to change attitudes toward media professionals.

“We need to educate and create awareness that journalists are not enemies. They are reporting something that is happening, and so they must be giving a free leverage to be able to do their reporting,” he emphasized.

Presidential Intervention in Journalist Protection:

Drawing from personal observations, President Mahama shared his experiences witnessing harassment of journalists at official events.

“Many times when I go to a function and I’m seated, I normally look at the way the journalists are being handled, and you find that there are some security personnel who just have a knack for harassing journalists,” the President revealed.

He described having to personally intervene: “Sometimes I have to shout and say, leave them. Let them do their job, you know.”

Proposed Solutions:

The President outlined concrete steps to address the crisis, including enhanced cooperation between media and security agencies.

“We must find a way… to create a certain forum where the Journalists Association and these security agencies can interact, so that it sends a message to them that, look, journalists are not your enemies,” President Mahama proposed.

He emphasized the legitimate role of journalists: “They are there to do their legitimate job of informing the people, and so they are not subject to harassment.”