Convener of a youth and nongovernmental media advocacy and pressure group, the United Press for Development Network (UPDN), Mr Kofi Asante Mensah, has opined President Akufo-Addo’s meeting with the media on Wednesday is the worst ever since the engagement was introduced.

He said the President “unnecessarily wasted some 40 minutes in a monologue address”.

Expressing his views on the engagement, he said, out of the 70 journos invited, only 15 of them were aloud to ask the President questions, a situation he finds inappropriate.

According to him, “this is woefully in adequate. I am wondering reasons why, not even a single female was allowed to ask a question. Out of the fifteen questions, only two were asked by outside Accra Journalists (Koforidua and Kumasi).”

Below is the full write-up of Mr. Kofi Asante Mensah:

Encounter with the Media

Kofi Asante Mensah writes…

This is the worst and lowest Media Encounter in the history of the Republic of Ghana. The President of Ghana, H.E Nana Akufo-Addo after making time to answer questions by the Ghanaian press, unnecessarily wasted some 40 minutes in a monologue address.

Out of seventy (70) Journalists invited by the Ghana Journalist Association in collaboration with the Director of Communication at the Presidency and Ministry of Information, only fifteen (15) had the opportunity to ask President Akufo-Addo a question.

This is woefully in adequate. I am wondering reasons why, not even a single female was allowed to ask a question. Out of the fifteen questions, only two were asked by outside Accra Journalists (Koforidua and Kumasi).

This encounter is more like a mini State of the Nation Address.

Nana Addo who looked quite tired and stressed up basically asked Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister for Information and Event Moderator to discontinue admitting new questions after the fifth Journalist.

Clearly the President did not only succeed to waste Journalists and Ghanaians time but state resources.

President Akufo Addo, was so defensive and emotional in answering most of the questions. Above all, the deferring of questions to Ministers who on weekly bases hold “Meet the Press” series with Journalists at the Information Ministry exposes the President to the fact that he is still not in control of affairs (not on top of issues).

This Affail Monney, Eugene Arhen and Kojo Oppong Nkruman style of “Encounter with the Media” (Meet the President) is not only below standard, it is shameful, needless and “useless”.

Kofi Asante Mensah
+233(0)24 469 0262
[email protected]

Source: Ghanaguardian.com