MFWA launches GH¢544,000 Legal Support Fund for journalists facing SLAPPs in Ghana

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has unveiled a Legal Support Fund with a budget of around GHS 544,000. This initiative addresses the escalating issue of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) targeting journalists and media organizations in Ghana. The primary objective of the fund is to offer legal aid to journalists and media entities facing litigation, judicial harassment, and other legal threats in pursuit of their legitimate professional duties.

The Legal Support Fund is part of the African Media Integrity and Resilience Programme (AMIRP) being executed in Ghana alongside Ethiopia and the Central African Republic, with financial backing from the European Union. AMIRP's main goal is to enhance the capability of public-interest media practitioners in Ghana to disseminate accurate and ethical information, thereby contributing to information integrity across the three countries.

The MFWA spearheads the implementation of AMIRP in Ghana in partnership with DW Akademie Ghana through International Media Support (IMS). This Legal Support Fund is a natural progression of the MFWA's long-standing commitment to upholding freedom of expression, press freedom, and journalist safety throughout West Africa. Over the past three decades, the MFWA has been actively engaged in monitoring and reporting press freedom violations while simultaneously advocating for journalists and combating impunity for their attacks.

A standout intervention by the MFWA is the establishment of the West Africa Network of Activists and Media Defence Lawyers (WANAMDEL), a regional network of lawyers committed to providing legal support to journalists and activists experiencing legal harassment and other rights violations across West Africa. The Legal Support Fund bolsters these efforts by providing a dedicated avenue for eligible journalists in Ghana to receive necessary legal aid when confronted with legal threats stemming from their professional endeavors.

Interested applicants can access the application form [here](http://). Applicants must submit supporting documentation, such as court proceedings, police reports, legal notices, correspondence, publications, and any other relevant materials that substantiate their eligibility. Key initiatives under the AMIRP programme include a 12-month fellowship for five early-career female journalists, aimed at enhancing their expertise and proficiency in public-interest journalism.

The fellowship encompasses comprehensive training, professional mentorship, and work experience at The Fourth Estate, MFWA's public interest journalism newsroom. Starting from September 14, 2026, sixty (60) journalists, editors, and media managers from across Ghana will engage in training workshops to deepen their understanding of Ghana's constitutional, legal, and regulatory frameworks concerning journalism, as well as pertinent African and international human rights standards pertaining to freedom of expression and the safety of journalists.

The MFWA aims to equip participants with the skills to identify and manage legal risks, respond to violations, and comprehend the national, regional, and international mechanisms available to seek redress. Furthermore, the MFWA will publish a policy research study to identify gaps in existing journalism and media training curricula in Ghana, with the ultimate aim of improving the quality of media and journalism education on the continent.

Additional research endeavors will delve into critical aspects influencing the state of the media in Ghana, encompassing media ownership patterns and their implications for pluralism and independence, professional capacity and standards, journalist safety, press freedom, and policy and legislative gaps within Ghana's media governance framework.

For additional information, journalists can reach out to the MFWA via email at info@mfwa.org or by phone at +233 302 555327 | +233.