The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), will launch its Support Fund on November 2, this year.
Under the fund, there will be the GJA Retirees Fund aimed at supporting retirees and senior journalists of the association.
The President of the GJA, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, said this Tuesday at the retired members and editors forum which forms part of efforts to make all veterans and senior editors part of an all-inclusive administration.
He indicated that it was the belief of the association the fund when launched and becomes operational, would help ease the suffering of some of the retirees while putting smiles on their faces.
The GJA president mentioned that the forum would be an annual event where the GJA would engage retirees as Council of Elders or Advisory team to advise the association on pertinent issues of national interest.
‘It is important to state that as watchdogs of the society or the fourth estate of the realm, we have to contribute our quota to the development of this country. We will therefore need your counsel in that regard,” he said.
Highlighting the vision of his administration, Mr Dwumfuor said the association would embark on membership drive, rebrand, and seek the welfare of journalists.
According to Mr Dwumfour, the GJA would form committees as and when they were required adding that “we will call on you to serve on those committees, already some retirees have worked for us on the awards review committee, some are now on the awards committee currently selecting the best journalists for our upcoming media awards, some retirees have also been part of our fact-finding visits and mediation efforts.”
He said the association’s constitution would be completely rewritten to address current challenges and keep up with emerging trends that the Article 30 and 40 Committee would be outdoored within the week.
Mr Dwumfuor stated that capacity training programmes would be organised on ethics, health, environment and other various fields saying that the contributions of retirees would be needed in that regard.
“We are aware that no proper accounts have been kept over the years, but we are currently auditing our books with the assistance of the Auditor-General.I need to inform you that we inherited debts and liabilities. There was absolutely nothing in the coffers when we assumed office,” he stated.
Mr Dwumfour said his administration was determined to fulfil its pledge to members and has begun “turning things around for the better.”
The Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Yaw Boadu Ayeboafoh, complained about the lack of purposiveness on the path of journalists and the association as a whole.
He said journalists and the association sometimes presented themselves as “poor cousins” of other professions but stated that unfortunately, that was not good enough,
“We are the ones who make others feel who they are and it was important we project ourselves that people would begin to appreciate and recognise us in our right as media people,” he added.
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU
