By Buertey Francis BORYOR & Emmanuel AKOMEA
The Commandant of Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Major-General Richard Addo Gyane, has cautioned Ghanaian media to be circumspect in their reportage – urging the security services to remain neutral and court the confidence of all stakeholders as the nation edges toward elections 2024.
Additionally, he called for enhanced collaboration between media, security services and key stakeholders to ensure incident-free elections.
“There is a need for these stakeholders to come together and implement preventive measures ahead of the 2024 elections. Integrity of the 2024 elections outcome can only be guaranteed in an atmosphere of collaboration and information-sharing between media and security agencies.
“It is also crucial that other key stakeholders like civil society organisations, private and corporate entities, the Church, traditional authorities, women, youth groups and opinion leaders all play their part to safeguard the implementation of preventive mechanisms and appropriate measures to curb electoral violence.
“I believe that with a collective effort at excellence, we can overcome all emerging threats that otherwise have the tendency to impact very negatively on peace and security before, during and after the elections,” he elaborated.
Moreover, he said, the 2024 elections will be yet another opportunity for the country to demonstrate its commitment to peace, even in the face of challenges that often accompany its elections.
The Major-General made these remarks during his welcome address at the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Media and Security held at the KAIPTC on October 8, 2024.
The event, a joint initiative between KAIPTC and Kingdom Concept Consult (KCC), was themed ‘Safeguarding Peace Before, During and After Elections – The Role of Media and Security Actors’.
Also, Princess Sekyere Bih, Director-KCC, echoing Mr. Addo Gyane’s sentiments in a keynote speech stressed the need for media and security forces to find a balance through collaboration in the December 7 polls lead-up .
Meanwhile, Dr. Jonathan Sandy – Head of African Union’s ECOSOCC Peace and Security – in remarks highlighted the importance of preventing electoral violence and emphasised that violence poses a significant threat to democracy, political stability and human security.
The dialogue sought to find answers for questions deemed as grey areas – including how the media can balance a need for transparency in security-related reporting with responsibility to protect sensitive information that could endanger public safety or ongoing operations.
Additionally, it sought to answer questions about the role disinformation and misinformation play in exacerbating security threats; and how media, government and other stakeholders can collaborate to mitigate these risks.
Also, it aimed to answer the question of how journalists working in high-risk areas can be better-protected, among others.