NORSAAC urges media practitioners to engage actively in constitutional review process
NORSAAC’s Hafsatu Sey Sumani calls on journalists to provide accurate, objective and timely public education on constitutional review recommendations and proposed reforms.
The Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC) has urged media practitioners to take an active interest in Ghana’s ongoing constitutional review process and help educate the public on its progress and implications.
The call was made during a media engagement involving practitioners from the five regions of northern Ghana, held in Tamale on Wednesday, October 21.
In an interview with Mike FM, NORSAAC’s Head of Programmes and Policy Influence, Hafsatu Sey Sumani, said media practitioners needed a thorough understanding of the review process to enable them to inform the public accurately.
“The purpose of this engagement is to make sure we move with the media to appreciate the Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendations, the government’s position, and the positions of civil society organisations and other stakeholders,” she said.
She stressed the importance of ensuring that the public understands the process, particularly recommendations that may require a referendum, to enable citizens to make informed decisions when the time comes.
Sumani urged media practitioners to equip themselves with the requisite knowledge and provide objective, accurate and timely information to the public as the process progresses.
As part of the engagement, the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) provided a legal practitioner to facilitate discussions and guide participants through the constitutional review process and the steps ahead.
The facilitator took participants through the background to the review process, the formation and mandate of the Constitutional Review Committee, the process of soliciting public views, the committee’s recommendations, the government’s response, and the positions of civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
The session also examined the role of the media in keeping the public informed and promoting citizens’ understanding of the review process.
Participants expressed appreciation to NORSAAC and CDD-Ghana for the engagement, noting that it had enhanced their understanding of the process and equipped them to contribute more effectively to public education on constitutional reform in Ghana.
Mike 105.3 FM I Navrongo | David Adapuna
