UDS Dean Urges Better Pay For Journalists

Prof. Eliasu Mumuni, Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies at the University for Development Studies (UDS), has advocated for improved welfare for journalists in Ghana. He emphasized that better compensation and working conditions would enable reporters to effectively scrutinize public officials. Prof. Mumuni cautioned that journalists struggling to meet basic needs may be less equipped to hold powerful individuals and institutions accountable.

He urged media owners to increase salaries, meet statutory obligations such as Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions, and refrain from exploiting their staff. The media professor also suggested that media houses should explore diverse revenue sources and carry out internal reforms to enhance financial sustainability and employee welfare.

The Center for Democratic Development, Ghana (CDD-Ghana) organized a media workshop in Tamale to educate journalists about the current state of political parties and campaign financing in the country. The workshop aimed to introduce participants to the government's stance on the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) recommendations concerning political parties' financing and the Draft Model Political Finance Law.

CDD-Ghana's Director of Programmes and Operations, Frederick Adu-Gyamfi, noted that public resistance to state financing of political parties is partly due to a lack of understanding of the concept and its potential benefits. He proposed that properly regulated public funding could alleviate parties' financial difficulties while strengthening Ghana's democratic system.