Akufo-Addo: NPP and I gave Ghana press freedom

The Flagbearer of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo says his party’s initiative, as well as his own personal involvement in the repeal of the criminal libel law, is what gave Ghana its prevailing environment of press freedom.

“I am proud to say that today, Ghana ranks high in the freedom of the press league and the NPP can claim that we led that fight,” Akufo-Addo told an audience in Korea when he spoke about “Strengthening freedom and democracy; meeting new challenges” at the conference of the international democratic union (IDU) in Seoul, on Friday November 21, 2014...

He said: “When our party came into government in 2001, we quickly repealed the Criminal Libel Law, which had inhibited the press for years from doing its work as a public watchdog.”

“My modest self had the honour, as Attorney General, of piloting the passage of the repeal through our Parliament,” he told the audience.

“The opening of the airwaves to private enterprise has improved governance in general and led to a feeling of inclusiveness among the population,” he observed.

Prior to the repeal of the criminal libel law, some journalists, including Kweku Baako Jr and Haruna Attah, among a whole raft of others, were jailed for certain publications.

However, the repeal of the law means that only civil suits could be filed against journalists in the course of their profession.

Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, recently complained that the repeal of the law has festered irresponsible and reckless journalism. He suggested that media regulator – National Media Commission (NMC) – be empowered to “bite”. His comments were condemned by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).