A delegation from the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has paid a courtesy call on the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mohammed Adjei Sowah, at his office in Accra. The visit was to officially invite the Accra Mayor to the 2018 World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) celebration to be hosted by Ghana. The WPFD will be celebrated on May 3 but a number of activities in connection with the event have lined up before and after the celebration date.

The President of the GJA, Affail Monney, led the four-member GJA delegation which included the Vice President, Mrs Linda Asante-Agyei; General Secretary, Kofi Yeboah, and National Treasurer, Mrs Audrey Dekalu. Also present at the meeting was the Director of Finance of the AMA, Moses Abaka. Mr Monney used the opportunity to congratulate Mr Sowah on his appointment as Accra Mayor, and invited him, as the landlord of the city, to grace a reception of the WPFD on May 1, 2018 with his presence.

He appealed to the AMA boss to support the GJA in diverse ways in order to enhance the successful organisation of the event. Mr Sowah expressed gratitude to the GJA delegation for the visit, and pledged the support of the AMA to the GJA to ensure the successful hosting of the WPFD.

 “We’ll fast-track any form of support for the programme,” he said.

He said such international events presented opportunities for Ghana to showcase its culture and tourism potentials to the outside world, adding that they also formed part of AMA's vision to project the city (Accra) to the world. The Accra Mayor reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting the media, saying, “The break down of the media cannot be the hallmark of democracy”.

The WPFD will bring together leading actors from the media, civil society, policy makers, Judiciary and academia to discuss latest developments and pressing challenges related to press freedom and the safety of journalists across the world.

This is the first time WPFD is to be hosted in Africa, with Ghana earning that singular privilege.