Graphic MD pledges support for GJA

The Managing Director (MD) of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Ato Afful, has pledged the company’s resolve to support the activities of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), in a bid to shape the practice of journalism in the country.

He identified the GJA as an important stakeholder in the media industry and since the GCGL was the biggest media outlet in Ghana, he indicated that any contribution from the company towards the welfare of the association was not out of place.

Mr Afful made the pledge when the executives of the GJA paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Accra last Wednesday.

The visit was to officially welcome and congratulate him on his assumption of office as the MD of the GCGL in December 2018.

The team that was led by the GJA President, Mr Affail Monney, was at the office to also officially inform Mr Afful of the association’s 70th anniversary celebration, scheduled from February to August 2019.

“The GJA is an important stakeholder in the industry in which we operate. As the biggest media organisation in Ghana, we are probably one of the biggest partners of the association.

 It will, therefore, serve a good purpose for us to partner with you at all times in the interest of growing the media industry,” Mr Afful said.

Professionalism

He told the team that the enormous achievements of the GCGL, such as sweeping countless GJA awards, was as a result of the company’s commitment to upholding professionalism and high ethical standards in its service delivery.

He stated that even in the company’s quest to triumph in the competition on the market by adopting other digital platforms to facilitate its operations, it would continue to prioritise quality journalism in order to maintain its status as the beacon of professionalism as far as journalism in Ghana was concerned.

He said the company would continue to also prioritise the concerns of its journalists, whom he referred to as major contributors to the mark of integrity and credibility associated with the GCGL in the over 60 decades of its establishment.

Commendation

For his part, Mr Monney applauded the staff and management of the GCGL for championing quality journalism in Ghana and West Africa at large.

He noted that in spite of the numerous challenges confronting the media landscape, such as the immense competition for audience share, the GCGL had distinguished itself in its service delivery, making it a symbol of authority in the media industry.

“Graphic has become the reference point and a standard measure to not only newspapers in Ghana but also other newspapers in Africa.

 This ignites a high sense of pride that Ghana has a product which does not only compete locally but rises above other publications internationally,” he stated.

RTI Bill

Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the GJA, Mr Kofi Yeboah, appealed to the management of the GCGL to champion the advocacy for the passage of the Right to Information Bill “just as you led a successful campaign against galamsey (illegal mining) activities.”

Reacting to the appeal, the Acting Director of Newspapers at the GCGL, Mrs Mavis Kitcher, gave an assurance that the GCGL would focus attention on the subject due to the relevance of the bill to the practice of journalism in the country.

She urged the GJA to take the necessary action towards sanitising the media landscape to restore dignity and pride in the practice of journalism in the country.