MFWA launches GHC544k legal support fund for journalists

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has launched a Legal Support Fund with seed capital of GH¢544,000 to assist Ghanaian journalists and media houses facing legal threats or lawsuits arising from work undertaken in the public interest.

Dr Kojo Impraim, Programme Director at the MFWA, announced the initiative on Monday on behalf of the Foundation’s Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah. The announcement was made at the opening of a five-day residential training programme on the legal framework governing media practice in Ghana.

The training brought together selected media personnel from across the country.

Dr Impraim said the Fund was established under the African Media Integrity and Resilience Programme (AMIRP), which is being implemented in Ethiopia, Ghana and the Central African Republic with funding from the European Union.

In Ghana, AMIRP is implemented by the MFWA in collaboration with DW Akademie Ghana through International Media Support (IMS).

He said the programme aims to strengthen the capacity of public-interest media practitioners to provide ethical, fact-based information and contribute to information integrity in the participating countries.

According to Dr Impraim, the Legal Support Fund is intended to promote freedom of expression, press freedom and the safety of journalists across West Africa. He added that the training would also help improve the quality of media and journalism education in Ghana.

Providing an overview of the Fund, Dr Daniel Kwame Ampofo Adjei, MFWA Programme Manager, said applicants must show that the publication or journalistic activity concerned was connected to legitimate journalistic standards, grounded in professional practice and served the public interest.

Applicants must also provide evidence of the legal threat, specify the type of assistance required and indicate whether the matter is urgent.

Dr Adjei said a committee would assess applications to determine whether they qualified for support before any assistance was approved.

Rebecca Ekpe, Vice-President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), described the Fund as timely and important, saying it would help media practitioners carry out public-interest work without fear or intimidation.

Ama Kodjo, Programme Director of DW Akademie Ghana, presented the dummy cheque and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting journalists to work in a safe environment.