President John Dramani Mahama's September 10, 2025, press encounter should be significant, a time for him to share serious issues of the nation with the people of Ghana and the Ghanaian press.
Given past statements by the President regarding freedom of the press, journalists might ask about concrete steps toward protecting journalists and promoting a free press.
Historically, Presidential Media Encounters are highly regulated by guidelines for journalists, and the September 10 meeting at Jubilee House would not be different.
With reporters across the length and breadth of the country preparing for the first official media interaction at the Presidency nine months into the Mahama government, there are talks in the media fraternity regarding what questions are an absolute must-ask.
While the platform provides President Mahama with a chance to engage the Ghanaian people and the media on matters of national relevance, one would wish to know, what are the grand expectations, and what type of questions will be put to him by journalists? Rebecca Ekpe writes.
Freedom of the press, and the safety of journalists, will be most likely to be in focus at the Presidential Media Encounter. Ultimately, President Mahama himself had accused Ghana's declining press freedom rankings, including mention of harassment of the press and the murder of Ahmed Suale as part of the reason.
Of course, the journalists themselves would like to know and likely ask the President about his specific actions to bring about improvements, for the benefit of Ghana's journalism professionals.
In a recent meeting with the Ghana Journalists Association, President Mahama provided a subtle hint of reinstating the Media Development Fund. While Mr. Mahama offered to resuscitate the Media Development Fund in the budget of next year, pledging open management through a dual Government-GJA board, these would be concerns to journalists.
Ghanaian state media development and its contribution to Ghanaian democratization consolidation would also be under scrutiny at the Presidential Media Encounter.
President Mahama has recently inspired state media modernization through promotion of digital models such as The New York Times subscription. Journalists can ask him his vision for Ghana's public broadcasting and its role in furthering local language learning and adult literacy.
One other topic that the media would ask the President about was the government's "Resetting Ghana" agenda. The President's resetting strategy of the economy and development of Ghana, as well as his economic growth plans, job creations, and social welfare programs, would be of interest to the media nine months into the Mahama administration.
Electoral violence, specifically post-election clashes, the recent Savannah Region war, galamsey, ORAL, among others, would make up accountability questions that would be asked by journalists to the President.
In all of this, the media would need to pose tough, direct, pointed, and concise questions to President Mahama, the majority of them being policy-related, with the hope of receiving answers that speak to issues in the country, government policy, action, and impending action for Ghanaians.
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