The Minister of Information, Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has called on the Executives of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to make the Association attractive for many media practitioners to join.
He observed that most media practitioners have failed to join the Association because it does not look attractive to them.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah made the assertion at the opening ceremony of a three-day retreat for new executives of the GJA at OBOSOMASE-AKWAPIM in the Eastern.
The Executives of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) held its first retreat at the Mount Pleasant Inns and Apartments at Obosomase-Akwapim on Friday, Aug 5, 2022 to Sunday, August 7, 2022.
The retreat was to brainstorm policies and programmes that will strengthen the GJA as well as offer hope to its members.
The retreat focused on on some critical subjects including the welfare of journalists.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said it was important for the executives to pay attention to understanding why so few practitioners of journalism are members of the GJA and work towards bringing everyone on board.
“Your ability to succeed in imparting the journalism space starts with your ability to examine why many of our colleagues are not joining the Association. Your ability to succeed starts with working to make the Association attractive enough to bring all of these practitioners on board.
In that way, your scale of influence can be significant enough to impart the landscape and ensure that journalists have a more effective role in our nation-building exercise,” he said.
He also called on the GJA to pay attention to the welfare of journalists, safety, economic wellbeing, capacity and work of journalists as well as the image and function of the GJA.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah also advised the GJA to pay attention to how well it follows up on attacks on journalists, adding that the work of journalists must be upheld and defended.