SEE THE #MomProject ABOUT GHANAIANS MEDIA INDEPENDENCE

General elections were held in December 2016 without major incidents or media freedom violations. Ghana is regarded as one of the most democratic countries in Africa and Chapter 12 of its 1992 constitution guarantees media pluralism and independence. But only a very small number of media outlets provide good news coverage. A third of the media are owned by the state or by businessmen linked to the government. The lack of transparency that characterizes the media industry is compounded by a flawed regulatory system that tends to limit the freedom to inform. Thanks to extensive use of mobile phones, a great deal of news and information circulates online. Criminal code provisions penalizing “false news” are sometimes abused in order to harass journalists. But journalists are rarely arrested or imprisoned.