"Freedom of the media is essential to fight corruption in Africa" ​​- Jeremy Hunt

General News on Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Source: Ghananewsagency.org

2019-04-30

Jeremy Hunt, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, said that one of the factors that can help African countries fight corruption is to strengthen and preserve the freedom of the media.

This, he said, would allow the media to play complementary roles in the development process.

He praised Ghana for being the beacon of democracy in Africa and ahead of the UK in the global media rankings, noting that one of the factors that made Ghana stand out was its determination to create social capital that enables society to function effectively.

He congratulated investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas for his considerable role in the fight against corruption.

Mr Hunt made the remarks at a reception organized on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Commonwealth, organized by the British High Commission, at the British Council in Accra on Monday.

The theme of the anniversary is "A Connected Commonwealth", which brought together industry leaders, a UK business delegation, members of parliament and representatives of civil society organizations.

Hunt is in the country on a two-day mission to strengthen bilateral trade relations between Ghana and the United Kingdom.
He called for a change of attitude and mentality of the developed countries towards Africa, Africa being able to serve as a platform to contribute to the mutual development and prosperity.

He stressed the need to renew the wishes of Commonwealth member countries and to recast relations between developed and developing countries to go beyond aid and strengthen partnerships and trade relations.

He congratulated the various charities and relief organizations on the African continent that had contributed to fighting diseases, poverty and deprivation.
The Commonwealth is a global badociation with a shared history, values ​​and future to promote development, and Ghana has been instrumental in maintaining the badociation.

It included 53 independent sovereign states, former colonies of Great Britain, with 2.5 billion inhabitants and one-third of the world's population.

Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botcwey, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said that Ghana had played a vital role in achieving shared Commonwealth values ​​and reaffirmed the nation's commitment to political values the Organization to promote international and economic growth.

The Minister stated that Ghana remains committed to playing a leading role in promoting peace and security in the West African subregion, by participating in peacekeeping, mediation and peacebuilding in conflict zones.
Ms. Botchwey pointed out that the growing threat of global terrorism and the presence of groups such as Boko Haram and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb countries also presented unique challenges, which required interventions and solutions.

It has therefore badured the government of its willingness to collaborate with other countries in the subregion to enhance security and improve the lives of the population.

Botchwey urged the Commonwealth to take comprehensive measures at all levels to fight terrorism, including efforts to build respect and understanding to address grievances to reduce threats and promote growth.
She said the government recognizes the threat of cybercrime and that the country is ready to implement the Declaration on Cyber, which was adopted by the heads of government in London in April 2018.

Ghana would also continue to engage with international institutions and technology partners, such as the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization and the Commonwealth Communication Union, to ensure global computer security, she said.