Press freedom: Akufo-Addo is the worst performing president in Ghana's history - Sammy Gyamfi

National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has said that the Akufo-Addo-led government will go down memory lane as the worst-performing President in Ghana’s history relative to the protection of press freedom.

His statement comes after former President John Mahama condemned President Nana Akufo-Addo over recent attacks on journalists and media organisations which have happened under his term.

According to him, this has resulted in a dip in Ghana’s global ranking on the Press Freedom Index.

Sammy Gyamfi, in a release, said the closure of radio station and harassment of journalists can be attributed to Ghana’s poor score in the rankings.

World Press Freedom Index report indicated that Ghana has dropped three places from its 27th position in 2019 to 30th in 2020, in its most recent release.

Released by Reporters without Borders (RSF), an international non-profit organisation, the report, for instance, singled out the gruesome murder of Tiger Eye PI journalist Ahmed Suale, whose assailants are still on the loose more than a year after his death and a number of attacks on journalists.



Below is his full statement

Ghana’s Raw Scores under the World Press Freedom Index since its inception in the year 2013.

Folks, as we celebrate World Press Freedom Day, it’s important that we take stock of our performance under the World Press Freedom Index, compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders.

Note that the higher the score, the poorer one’s performance. See https://rsf.org/en/detailed-methodology

YEAR - SCORE

• 2013 - 17.27

• 2014 - 16.27

• 2015 - 15.50

• 2016 - 17.95

• 2017 - 17.95

• 2018 - 18.41

• 2019 - 20.81

• 2020 - 22.26

It can be gleaned from the above, that Ghana’s poorest score/performance under the World Press Freedom Index, is a score of 22.26, recorded this year, 2020, under the leadership of President William Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

This international disgrace has been occasioned by the gruesome murder of investigative Journalist, Ahmed Suale and government’s nonchalant posturing towards investigations into that heinous crime, the high-handed closure of radio stations and the harassment of journalists like Manesseh Azuri Awuni and Edward Adeti, under the watch of President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo who prides himself as a vainglorious paragon of free speech.

This is why President Akufo-Addo will go down as the worst-performing President in Ghana’s history relative to the protection of press freedom.

SAMMY GYAMFI Esq.