The Deputy Minister for Trade And Industry, Herbert Krapa says the Ghanaian Media has an important role to play if the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is to succeed.
According to him, without the media and its active collaboration with government in that endeavour, businesses, SMEs and the citizenry will not fully understand this potentially life changing Agreement.
The media he stated must create opportunities for businesses to provide input into the implementation of the Agreement as they share lessons from their own experiences.
Speaking at the Media Training organized by the UNDP on AfCFTA on the Theme: “Equipping the Media to Report on AfCFTA”the Deputy Trade Minister tasked media practitioners to regularly review the extent to which the country is engaging to implement the AfCFTA and that such reviews would stimulate discussions on the utility of the Agreement.
Mr. Krapa while urging Journalists to probe and analyse the relationship between AfCFTA trade rules and national trade policy challenges noted that the Media have a duty to make complex policy processes and issues about AfCFTA intelligible for target audiences, explaining constantly technical language and jargon.
“The media should focus on the link between trade and development opportunities and barriers, and the implications of AfCFTA for poverty reduction. Be the voice of marginalized people. Gather and include the views of vulnerable groups, whoever and wherever they are.”
Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah said in a world where disinformation is very rife, it is important to ensure that there are clear channels through which facts, truth and real issues on the ground can be channeled indicating “that is why the media is a very important connector on this bridge between government, stakeholder groups and citizens on the other side.”
“We at the Ministry of Information believe that media capacity enhancement is key and we are going to get the media to play its role effectively across all sectors. The media is important that it cannot be left to its own devices or left to the whims and caprices of interested parties just to swing them where they desire. It is important for all stakeholder groups to come to the assistance of the media so that the media is supported and equipped to deliver on its mandate in various facets”.
He stated “few weeks ago we started the media enhancement capacity programme which on its own is going to ensure that this year, about 250 practicing journalists are supported with scholarships for on the job training in various aspects of media practice.”
In addition Mr. Oppong Nkrumah noted that “we are partnering with UNDP, AfCFTA Secretariat, Ministry Of Trade And Industry to ensure that the training which is focusing on ACFTA Agenda also takes place. It is important to engage the understanding of the media”.
Dr. Angela Lusigi, the UNDP Country Representative said AfCFTA represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform Africa’s economic landscape and shared prosperity through trade.
She noted that Ghana is fortunate to host the Secretariat and UNDP is working closely with both the Government of Ghana and the Secretariat to facilitate implementation and leverage the agreement to accelerate SDGs attainment.
Dr. Lusigi indicated that UNDP is committed to ensuring that the AfCFTA implementation is localized, and the benefits accrue to all, particularly women and youth.
“One of the areas that is lagging as demonstrated by the COVID-19 Agribusiness Tracker released by the Ghana Statistical Service with support from UNDP, the World Bank and GIZ, is the awareness about AfCFTA. Only one in four agribusiness firms knows about the AfCFTA and very few effectively use digital technologies.”
She stated that In order to help businesses to recover from COVID-19 by participating effectively in the AfCFTA, “we must ensure that these firms receive up to date information on business opportunities through the AfCFTA.”
This training is an important first step in closing the AfCFTA knowledge gap. Our goal is to improve the understanding on the AfCFTA agreement and create a vibrant network of practitioners Dr. Lusigi stated.
Mrs. Mamle Andrews, Chief Director at the Ministry of Information said the workshop is in line with the Ministry’s Media Capacity Programme.
In all, over forty Ghanaian journalists in both print and electronic media participated in the workshop expected to among others enhance the knowledge of participants of AfCFTA and the opportunities available for business while increasing media advocacy on the agreement to explore all opportunities towards sustainable development.
Source: By Kofi Yirenkyi
