Accra, Ghana//-The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor, has raised serious concerns over parts of the Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, cautioning that some provisions could undermine press freedom and free expression if passed without broader consultation.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Monday, November 3, to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Mr Dwumfuor said the Association supports the government’s efforts to strengthen Ghana’s cybersecurity laws but insists the process must protect fundamental rights guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution.
“We call for broad engagement, public consultation, and education to fine-tune the bill to ensure that every sector directly impacted understands and makes the needed input in the public interest,” he said.
Mr Dwumfuor warned that rushing the amendment process could have unintended consequences for media freedom and democratic accountability. “If what the amendment seeks to cure will worsen the cyber ecosystem, then we must tread cautiously,” he added.
The GJA President stressed that the media remains an indispensable pillar of Ghana’s democracy and cautioned that any attempt to restrict journalistic work under the guise of cybersecurity reform would erode transparency and accountability.
“The GJA and the media will always seek to protect these guaranteed rights and ensure that they are not taken from us,” he reaffirmed.
Mr. Dwumfuor urged Parliament to engage journalists, civil society organisations, digital rights advocates, and technology experts before passing the bill, to ensure it promotes responsible digital behaviour without compromising free expression.
The Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is expected to address emerging online threats, strengthen regulatory oversight, and align Ghana’s digital governance with international standards.
However, several civil society organisations, sections of the media, and the Minority in Parliament have expressed fears that the proposed amendments could be used to stifle dissent and target journalists or citizens critical of government actions.
His press statement below
STATEMENT DELIVERED BY GJA PRESIDENT, MR. ALBERT DWUMFOUR, AT A NEWS CONFERENCE TO MARK INTERNATIONAL DAY TO END IMPUNITY FOR CRIMES AGAINST JOURNALISTS, DISCUSSES AHMED SUALE CASE, MDHI BILL 2025, CYBERSECURITY AMENDMENT BILL 2025 AND THE 29TH GJA MEDIA AWARDS AT MANHYIA AT THE GHANA INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTRE ON NOVEMBER 3, 2025
Good afternoon, Colleagues
The National Executive of the GJA is grateful for your continuous coverage of our programmes and activities as we strive to discharge our mandate. We are thankful to you for responding to our invitation even at short notice.
Today, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) joins the global community to commemorate the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists and calls on state and non-state actors to ensure safe online and offline environment for journalists across the country. The Day is observed annually on November 2, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/68/163.
The resolution, adopted in 2013, condemns all forms of attacks and violence against journalists and media workers and urges Member States to take definite measures to end the prevailing culture of impunity. The date was chosen in remembrance of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on November 2, 2013, a tragic reminder of the high price paid for truth and accountability.
Colleagues, the GJA believes that commemorating the day is deeply relevant in Ghana, as over the years, several journalists have suffered physical attacks, intimidation, and cyber harassment in the line of duty.
The murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale in 2019 remains one of the darkest moments in our country’s media history. Years on, justice is yet to be served, a painful reflection of the broader global challenge of impunity for crimes against journalists.
It is increasingly worrying that, beyond physical attacks, journalists continue to face threats online, including trolling, doxing, and smear campaigns, especially against women journalists. These forms of violence stifle free expression and discourage the pursuit of public-interest journalism, which is critical to Ghana’s democracy, good governance, and national development.
The GJA recognises that the safety and protection of journalists are central to safeguarding freedom of expression and ensuring citizens’ right to information. An attack on one journalist is an attack on truth and on society’s right to know.
This year’s global theme, “Chat GBV: Raising Awareness on AI-facilitated Gender-Based Violence against Women Journalists,” focuses attention on the alarming rise of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).
While digital transformation has empowered many journalists to amplify their voices, it has also exposed women journalists to unprecedented risks. The spread of gendered disinformation, deepfakes, and other AI-driven harassment tactics has created a new frontier of violence that silences voices and undermines journalistic integrity.
In line with the global theme and in our resolve to end impunity and harassment against female journalists, and as part of our gender-responsive strategy, the GJA, in partnership with women journalists’ groups across the globe, is collating data on harassment against female journalists. This action aligns with the review of existing policy aimed at creating a safer and more enabling environment for women journalists.
We call on all stakeholders-government, media owners, digital platforms, civil society organisations, and the international community to collaborate in addressing these emerging threats. It is crucial to enhance digital literacy and create safe online and offline environments for all journalists, especially women, to work freely without fear.
The GJA remains firmly committed to working with key actors in our society to ensure that Ghana’s media operates in a conducive environment that promotes press freedom, freedom of expression, and access to information.
Let us, therefore, stand together to protect journalists, defend truth, and uphold the values of transparency and accountability that sustain our Republic.
THE NEVER-ENDING AHMED SUALE CASE
Fellow journalists, the GJA has received with deep concern and utter disappointment the news that a Madina District Court on October 14, 2025, discharged a suspect in the murder case of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale, following the decision of the Attorney-General’s Department to discontinue the prosecution.
This development, coming several years after the cold-blooded murder of Ahmed Suale in January 2019, raises serious questions about the commitment and capacity of the State to pursue justice for slain journalists and protect press freedom in Ghana.
The GJA finds it extremely worrying that, after such a heinous crime that shocked the nation and the international media community, justice continues to elude the family of Ahmed Suale and the entire media fraternity.
The inability of the State to bring the perpetrators of this crime to book after nearly seven years represents a grave blot on Ghana’s record as a democracy that prides itself on the rule of law and freedom of expression.
Key Questions the GJA Demands Answers To:
1. Why has the Attorney-General’s Department discontinued the case after years of investigation and public resources committed to pursuing justice?
2. What are the findings of the investigations conducted by the Ghana Police Service and why have these not led to credible prosecutions?
3. Has there been any new evidence or lack thereof that has compelled the Attorney-General to abandon the case?
4. What is the current status of the investigations into the murder of Ahmed Suale, and what steps are being taken to bring the real perpetrators to justice?
5. Why has there been limited transparency and public communication on the progress of the case despite the enormous national and international attention it has attracted? The GJA insists that justice delayed is justice denied.
The discharge of a suspect without closure or a credible explanation risks deepening public distrust in the justice system and may embolden those who target journalists with impunity. It also sends a dangerous signal that crimes against journalists can go unpunished.
Our Position and Demands-The Ghana Journalists Association:
• Demands a full and transparent explanation from the Attorney-General’s Department on the reasons for discontinuing the case.
• Calls on the Inspector-General of Police to provide an update on ongoing investigations and outline clear steps being taken to find and prosecute the real culprits.
• Urges the President of the Republic, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Police Service, to personally intervene to ensure justice is not buried with Ahmed Suale.
• Calls on the international media community, human rights organisations, and press freedom advocates to join in demanding justice for Ahmed Suale.
The GJA reiterates that the protection of journalists is fundamental to Ghana’s democracy. The failure to solve Ahmed Suale’s murder is not just a failure of law enforcement; it is a national tragedy and a stain on Ghana’s international image as a beacon of press freedom in Africa.
We owe it to Ahmed Suale, to his family and to every journalist working under fear and intimidation in Ghana to ensure that justice is served, fully, fairly and without further delay. GJA will not relent in demanding accountability, transparency and justice in this matter until the truth is uncovered and the perpetrators are punished
ATTACKS SO FAR RECORDED IN GHANA FROM JANUARY -OCTOBER 2025
Ladies and Gentlemen, so far, the records available to us indicate that 13 attacks on journalists have been reported from January to October this year. From January to July, we recorded 12 attacks.
With our intensified advocacy and stakeholders’ engagements and demands, we only recorded an additional one from the central region involving Kwame Essel, Onua FM Correspondent, on September 25, 2025, who was attacked at a mining site at Twifo Mampong in the central region.
The attacks have decreased due to ongoing public education and engagement. The GJA commends the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohonu, and his men, as well as the leadership of the Ghana Armed Forces, for their assurances and efforts to sensitise their men and women in uniform against attacks on journalists.
We hope that the declining trend will continue until we record zero attacks on our members, because, as we often say, Journalism is not a crime; it is not for us to be treated like criminals. The Media is a critical part of a nation’s architecture, and we must all come to the realisation that the media is a catalyst for national development, and that practitioners must be accorded the necessary support, not attacks and harassment.
THE CONTROVERSIAL MISINFORMATION, DISINFORMATION, HATE SPEECH AND PUBLICATION OF OFFENSIVE MATERIALS BILL (MDHI BILL), 2025.
Colleagues, the National Executive of the GJA has been following and keenly monitoring the ongoing discussions surrounding the proposed Misinformation, Disinformation, Hate Speech and Publication of Offensive Materials Bill (MDHI Bill), 2025.
Fascinating and thought-provoking discussions took place on our platforms when the bill first surfaced in the public domain.
We are all witnesses to happenings online and offline. Good and Bad. We cannot deny that there are unacceptable materials in the traditional and new media platforms.
Even though the GJA acknowledges the urgent need to stem the rising tide of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech, the Association firmly rejects any legislative process that excludes key stakeholders or threatens constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression, media independence, and the public’s right to information.
It is troubling that such a far-reaching Bill, one that touches the very core of free speech, journalistic practice, and democratic governance, is being pursued without adequate transparency and stakeholder consultation.
This approach raises legitimate fears that the legislation, if passed in its current form or through a rushed process, could inadvertently weaponise state power against the media and silence critical voices.
Even if this current government has no intention of weaponising such legislation, a subsequent government may.
The GJA therefore demands a further extension of the deadline for submitting inputs to allow for a broad-based, inclusive, and meaningful national dialogue that has the buy-in of all key stakeholders.
This engagement must include journalists and media workers, media owners, civil society organisations, academia, digital rights groups, legal experts, and ordinary citizens whose rights to free expression are directly at stake.
It is essential to say that a law that may affect press freedom should never be conceived or enacted behind closed doors or under pressure of time. Genuine and broad consultation should not be considered a courtesy. It is a constitutional necessity.
In the meantime, the GJA will also let our legal team examine the Bill in its current form to provide appropriate suggestions and feedback.
GJA’s Key Demands and Way Forward
To ensure transparency, accountability, and genuine participation in the legislative process, the Ghana Journalists Association calls for the following immediate actions:
Extension of the Consultation Deadline:
1. The government, through the Ministry of Communication, must extend the deadline for public inputs by at least three months to allow for proper national engagement and expert review.
2. Nationwide Stakeholder Consultations: Organise regional stakeholder forums in collaboration with the GJA, media associations and civil society to gather diverse perspectives and recommendations before the Bill is finalised and laid before Parliament.
3. Establishment of a Joint Technical Working Group: The GJA proposes the formation of a multi-stakeholder technical committee comprising representatives from the GJA, PRINPAG, NMC, CSOs, academia, and legal experts to review and harmonise all inputs into a single, balanced document.
4. Guarantee of Media Freedom Protections:
5. The Bill must include clear safeguards to prevent its misuse as a tool of censorship or intimidation against journalists and the media.
The GJA remains unwavering in its commitment to responsible, ethical journalism and the fight against misinformation and hate speech. Still, such efforts must not come at the cost of constitutional freedoms or democratic accountability.
We therefore urge the government to pause, engage, and listen. The GJA stands ready to collaborate but equally ready to resist any measure that undermines the principles of free expression and the public’s right to know.
CYBERSECURITY AMENDMENT BILL 2025
Colleagues, aside from the MDHI Bill, there is also the Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, from the same Ministry of Communications, which seeks to strengthen investigatory, enforcement, and grant seizure and prosecutorial powers for the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) and expand definitions (e.g., of critical infrastructure and cyber-offences).
Though the Bill is presented as an instrument to fight cybercrime, the draft contains vaguely worded offences, expanded state powers and broad enforcement tools that, without robust safeguards for us, risk being used to undermine journalism, criminalise legitimate online reporting, enable surveillance of journalists and sources and undermine press freedom.
With our cursory examination of the bill, the question we posed was, do these provisions threaten or have the potential to undermine journalism, freedom of expression and media freedom? And the answer is a huge yes!
Here are the dangers we anticipate from the Bill’s provisions:
1. Chilling effect from vague offences and broad definitions
When cyber offences are broadly defined (e.g., overbroad definitions of “misinformation”, “interference”, or “critical infrastructure”), journalists cannot reliably determine which investigative activities might trigger penalties. Experience in other countries shows that vague language is often weaponised to shut down critical reporting.
2. Surveillance and source-exposure risk
Expanded investigatory powers and seizure of digital assets can be used to access journalists’ communications and source data. Without mandatory judicial warrants and robust protections for source confidentiality, investigative reporting and whistleblowing are at risk. Comparative cases show that journalists have been jailed or arrested under cyber laws after authorities accessed digital materials.
3. Unaccountable centralised enforcement
Giving a technical agency prosecutorial powers risks politicisation. Agencies with broad discretion may use their powers selectively against critical media, particularly when institutional oversight is weak. This was a core criticism when similar powers were consolidated elsewhere.
4. Takedown and platform liability pressures
Duty-to-take-down provisions and obligations on intermediaries can incentivise overremoval of content, leading to private censorship by platforms and self-censorship by publishers seeking to avoid penalties or legal entanglement.
5. Criminal penalties for digital expression
If the Bill criminalises specific categories of online speech without clear defences for public-interest reporting, journalists risk arrest or prosecution for ordinary reporting or legitimate commentary. Precedent in Nigeria and Uganda shows that cyber laws have been used against journalists and critics.
6. Disrupting infrastructure used by the media
Broadly defined, “critical information infrastructure” can be interpreted to include media platforms and distribution networks; placing these under special administrative controls risks interruptions of publication and editorial independence.
We call for broad engagement and public consultation, and education to properly fine-tune the Bill to ensure that every sector that will be directly impacted aligns and understands and makes the needed inputs that will be in the general public interest. If what the amendment seeks to cure will instead worsen or stifle the cyber ecosystem, then we’d better tread cautiously.
The GJA and, for that matter, the media will always seek to protect the constitutionally guaranteed rights that are not taken away from us. We look forward to critical engagement on this Bill. We call on the Cybersecurity Authority and the Ministry of Communications to rush the amendment of these provisions.
29TH GJA MEDIA AWARDS- PREPARATIONS SO FAR AND WHAT TO KNOW
Colleagues, this weekend all roads lead to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, where we will be celebrating another year of excellence in journalism.
We have taken a bold historic step to shift the national awards ceremony to the Ashanti Region, which will be hosted by His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, and the President of the Republic is our Special Guest of Honour and Keynote speaker.
At the same time, the Speaker of Parliament, Right Hon. Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, and the Acting Chief Justice, His Lordship Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, are our Special Guests.
Colleagues, make sure you are not left out of this historic event, where about 35 journalists who have distinguished themselves over the past year will be celebrated for their sterling journalistic work for the country.
This year’s event is under the theme: “Safeguarding Ghana’s Future: The Role of the Media in Promoting Peace, Security and the Fight Against Galamsey”
Almost everything that we need to do to have a successful event is being done. Tomorrow, we will announce the nominees for this prestigious award event. We want to thank all our sponsors for their continuous support. We encourage sponsors who have yet to redeem their pledges to do so to help organise a memorable event.
In conclusion, as we mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we reiterate our calls on state and non-state actors to ensure a safe online and offline environment for journalists across the country.
At the same time, we raise Awareness on AI-facilitated Gender-Based Violence against Women Journalists. We pray and pledge to work to ensure there are no attacks on our members. The GJA demands concerted efforts by the state to offer closure to the never-ending Ahmed Suale Case. We will continue to demand justice for Ahmed Suale.
On the Misinformation, Disinformation, Hate Speech, and Publication of Offensive Materials Bill (MDHI Bill), 2025, we ask for the extension of the deadline for the submission of inputs, while firmly stating that the Bill must include clear safeguards to prevent its misuse as a tool of censorship or intimidation against journalists and the media.
Equally, we call for broader engagement, public consultation, and education on the Cybersecurity Amendment Bill, 2025. Colleagues, on behalf of the National Executive, I invite you to join us in Kumasi on Saturday, November 8, as we honour journalists across the country.
Long Live the GJA
God bless you.