The Ghana Journalist Association has formally adopted the Media-Corporate Response Initiative (M-CRI) as a development organ of the media with the Business & Financial Times to work in partnership with the Azongo Development Planning Consult to Chart a path for media involvement in Development in Ghana and Africa. The event which saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the initiative was held at the international press centre in Accra.
The M-CRI agenda is in response to the incessant demand on the Media to offer more space for Development issues, particularly, given the dire economic state within which the media operate in Africa. In the words of GJA President, Mr. Ransford Tetteh, “The new initiative, being given birth with the adoption of M-CRI is to establish a system that transcends the agenda-setting and policy influencing role of the media to forging partnership for common programmes and advocacy aimed at promoting SME and Rural Economic Development.

According to Mr.Tetteh, the objective is to forge partnership with Government, Development Partners and corporate Ghana to implement nationwide programmes to build Local Partnership through Participatory Planning for an effective District Level Micro-Finance Model to promote SME & Rural Economic Development.

He said, the Ghana Journalist Association under the M-CRI will adopt and implement globally competitive models to provide a development path for appropriating SME and Rural Economic Development in not only Ghana, but Africa as a whole.

Daasebre Prof Emeritus Oti Boateng, Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area and life- Patron of the M-CRI led the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with Ransford Tetteh to formally establish the M-CRI as a Development organ to implement SME and Rural Economic Development programmes.
In a post signing speech, Daasebre proposed the adoption of SME and Rural Economic Development as the Twin-Thematic Area for the Media Development Agenda for 2012-2014 to vigorously pursue the adoption of SME and Rural Economic Development as the bedrock of National Economic Policy and a new development order for Africa.
Daasebre and the Ghana Journalist Association formally declared the month of October as a media development month in Ghana whose observance shall be climaxed on 25th October as the Media Development Day.
He urged the GJA to enlist nationwide support for the adoption of October as a media development Month and the SME and Rural Economic Development as the Twin-thematic Area of the Media in this new development endeavour.
Daasebre pledged to personally lead a nationwide road-show under the Media –Corporate Response Initiative to promote the Twin–Media-Thematic Area to prepare grounds for the design of a programme to engender competition for SME and Rural Economic Development among districts in Ghana.

He called for effective collaboration between the Ghana Journalist Association, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and corporate institutions under the M-CRI to promote healthy economic development competition amongst districts as well as provide financial, entrepreneurship and e-solutions for SME development in all districts in Ghana.

The project is the direct outcome of DANIDA-USAID-EU sponsored BUSAC FUND recognition of the Media as key to facilitating the development and growth of a competitive and vibrant private sector by improving the environment in which businesses operate, particularly at the Small Medium Enterprises level within local jurisdictions.