Accra, Oct. 14, GNA - The Ghana Journalists Awards ceremony slated for Saturday, October 25, at the Banquet Hall in Accra would attract international participation from Togo and Congo, Mr Ransford Tetteh, President of the association announced on Tuesday. He said this year's award ceremony on the theme: "Using the Media to Promote Unity and Stability," would have a delegation of Togolese journalists and Togolese Minister of Information as well as some journalists from Congo who want to observe the GJA awards. Mr Tetteh, who is also the Editor of Daily Graphic, announced this when National Executive Committee of the association called on Mr Stephen Asamoah- Boateng, Minister for Information and National Orientation, to formally invite and update him on the programme. He explained that participation of foreign journalists in the programme followed Ghana's hosting of the CNN Multi Choice Awards held earlier this year.

Commenting on the theme of the programme, Mr Tetteh said the media's role in national development, included maintenance of peace and stability, especially in an election year. "Keeping the peace in the country involves the media," he said, and urged media houses to remind themselves that there was the need to adhere to the ethics of the profession to ensure sustained peace in the country.

He urged all Ghanaians to patronize the event. Mr Bright Blewu, General Secretary of GJA, said the President of International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) had also expressed interest in the event and had wanted to come but could not make it for some reasons. He explained t hat it had been a tradition for GJA to invite Ministers of Information and Orientation to the event since they were considered stakeholders in promoting excellence in the media. Mr Blewu stressed the need for journalists to help maintain peace and said GJA had formulated guidelines to help guide election reportage before, during and after the election.

Mr Asamoah-Boateng who accepted the invitation, emphasized the media's unifying role and stressed the need for the media to help manage tension during the political season. He suggested that GJA intensified its publicity on the event and urged the association to showcase the good works of journalists in Ghana.

Mr Asamoah-Boateng called for more cohesion in the association to help streamline activities of journalists to enhance media work. He commended the media for the improvement in reports and said overall the media was doing very well. "This election is a test case for the media in Ghana. I would be at the award ceremony, let's make it big," he said. Among the dignitaries invited to the programme are, Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Speaker of Parliament, all Presidential Aspirants and some of their representatives.

14 Oct. 08