Daniel Ohene Agyekum, a senior statesman and former Ghanaian ambassador to the United States, has concluded that press freedom is merely rhetoric in Ghana today, particularly under the democratic regime of human rights attorney President Nana Addo.
Ambassador Agyekum argues that, since Akufo-Addo's ascension to power, there have been a number of media infractions that impede the media's ability to do its job that exceed those that occurred during the military and Kwame Nkrumah's regime.
"I have lived in Ghana and worked for multiple administrations, including those of Kwame Nkrumah and Rawlings. Never before have the media been treated so poorly as they are today. Even though the RTI was enacted under this president and his administration, it is difficult for the media to obtain information.
"Ironically, the criminal libel law was repealed under this same person as Minister of Attorney General under Kufuor, a human rights lawyer, but his government treats journalists with contempt and in some cases beats or threatens them"
"I listen to the media today, and they are afraid to do their jobs. People in authority are fearful to give the media accurate information that will expose the corruption in this government. Why? Because there is no press freedom in Ghana under the NPP. He claimed that press freedom meant nothing in Ghana today.
On May 3, Ghana joined the rest of the globe in celebrating globe Press Freedom Day.
The day is observed to raise awareness of the significance of press freedom and to remind governments of their responsibility to respect and uphold Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of expression. The theme for this year's conference was "Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a Driver for All Other Human Rights."