Ghana, a West African country, is situated along the Gulf of guinea & the Atlantic Ocean, is a sub-region of West Africa. The country is spanned over a landmass of more than 238, 535 square km. Ghana is a Soninke Language word that means “Warrior King”. Ghana has a population of approximately 30 million that spans various ethnicities, castes, religions. It is a democratic country that is unitary & follows the constitution. The country is led by the president who is head of the state as well as the government. Ghana has been growing economically & politically that has it a stronger country in the region. The country is also a member of the non-aligned movement, the Commonwealth of Nations & African union.
The function of media in any democracy is at the utmost position. So are the functions of media in Ghana. The establishment of media in Ghana dates back to the 19th century. There was a publication named The Gold Coast Gazette and Commercial Intelligencer. The media of Ghana has played a major role to strengthen democracy in the country, such as it helped promoting literacy, developing rural development, encouraging unity with the gold coast government. There was even a huge contribution of media in the independence of the country itself.
In this article, we will discuss the functions of media in Ghana.
To Strengthen Democracy
There was a huge role of media to strengthen the democracy of Ghana. The media has played a big role earlier to snatch independence from colonialism. The role of media in any democracy cannot be underestimated because it has the power to destroy a government & to keep it. The government relies on media to get information about people, their problems, grief, demand is updated regularly. On the other hand, people of the country get to know various policies that the government makes from the media. The media of Ghana has also contributed to conducting peaceful elections earlier from 1992. The mass media in Ghana is more independent & vibrant than before. The constitution allows the media to have full independence & freedom of speech. So, we can say that the democracy of Ghana is standing on the shoulder of mass media. & it eventually strengthened democracy.
To Achieve National Prosperity
The media is called the fourth arm of the government. The role of the media is important to strengthen democracy as well as to achieve national prosperity. The media keeps updated about the day to day happenings in or around the country to the people. Also, it ensures that people remain aware of government activities & government policies. The media is also responsible to keep check whether those policies are implemented rightfully or not. If the people of the country are getting the benefits equally or equality is maintained among the people of the country. So, there is a significant role of media to achieve the national prosperity of Ghana.
To Educate the People of the Country
Media educates the people of the country in such a way that it informs various things around the country. It keeps people updated with facts & conflicts. It makes them aware of the current situation what is going on. It helps them to make an informed decision before pressing the vote button. The people of the country develop a good sense of judgment & fair opinion. They also get the courage to speak up in case of any wrongdoing. Apart from making them aware of the current scenario, the media plays a huge role to educate the people of the country, especially the youth.
To Bring Social Justice
Media shows plenty of scenarios where justice isn’t served. People come to know the circumstances & situations where equality is still a question mark. Media analyze, criticize & expose the incidents where these things happen. At times, the government is also criticized for not addressing those issues beforehand. & it makes the government act faster than usual. So, it is very important to have the active presence of media in the country to answer these issues.
Though there are a lot of functions of media that cannot be discussed in a single article, the four main points are pointed out & discussed.
