Ghana has dropped to 52nd place out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, raising serious concerns about the state of press freedom and journalist safety in the country.

This decline, reported by Reporters Without Borders, formed a central point of reflection during this year’s World Press Freedom Day commemoration event held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.

Addressing the event on Friday, May 2, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, said the country’s performance in the global index is troubling and demands urgent corrective measures.

“Ladies and gentlemen, not long ago, Reporters Without Borders released the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, with Ghana slipping down the ranks. Out of 180 countries ranked annually, Ghana dropped from the 50th position with a score of 67.13% in 2024, to 52nd position with a score of 67.71% in 2025,” Mr. Dwumfour announced.

Highlighting specific indicators, he revealed that Ghana’s worst score was recorded under security. “The worst indicator is security, with Ghana dropping from the 72nd position in 2024 to 86th position in 2025, although it recorded a reduction in score from 82.94% in 2024 to 78.93% in 2025. The details of our performance in this year’s World Press Freedom Index clearly attest to how bad we are doing as a country. It also reinforces the need for us to intensify our efforts at promoting press freedom,” he stated.

The GJA president disclosed that Ghana recorded 11 cases of assault against journalists this year—all of them occurring in February alone. He reiterated his call for the police to act swiftly on these cases, emphasizing that impunity must end.

“This is the reason why we have been calling on the police to take attacks on journalists seriously especially bringing perpetrators of attacks on the media to face justice to serve as deterrent to others and to end impunity. We have not been sleeping on the attacks against our members, the reason why we have been demanding justice for our murdered colleague, Ahmed Suale. We want to reiterate our calls on the IGP that THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!” he declared.

The gruesome murder of investigative journalist, Ahmed Suale, tops the list of unsolved crimes against Ghanaian media practitioners. Ahmed was shot dead by unidentified individuals riding a motorbike in the Madina District of the capital, Accra, in January 2019.

It has been six years, and the family of the bereaved is yet to get justice. Presently, the murder case is being tried at the High Court. Daniel Owusu Koranteng, the lead suspect in the murder of investigative jour­nalist, has been denied bail and is in police custody.

Koranteng is alleged to have abetted with two others at large to commit a crime to wit, murder and for allegedly murdering Suale, the investigative journalist.

Beyond local concerns, Mr. Dwumfour touched on the global theme of this year’s celebration—“Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media”—pointing to both opportunities and risks posed by AI to journalism.

“We find ourselves at the dawn of a new technological revolution—the era of Artificial Intelligence. AI is no longer a futuristic concept; it is rapidly permeating various aspects of our lives, and the media industry is no exception,” he said.

While acknowledging AI's usefulness, he also sounded caution over its unchecked use. “This transformative technology presents a double-edged sword for journalism. On one hand, AI offers tremendous potential to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of news gathering, processing, and dissemination... AI can also play a crucial role in fact-checking and identifying manipulated content, offering a powerful weapon in the fight against disinformation.”

However, he warned: “The increasing sophistication of AI-generated content raises serious concerns about the potential for the mass production of fake media, which can be incredibly difficult to distinguish from authentic content. This poses a significant threat to the credibility of news organizations and could further erode public trust in information.”

He stressed the importance of confronting this technological shift head-on. “The AI revolution is a conversation that we need to have as it will continue to impact our work on a daily basis.”

The GJA also used the occasion to reaffirm its stand on responsible journalism, insisting it will defend press freedom while condemning unethical practices within the industry. “We shall not countenance attacks on press freedom, but we shall also not condone irresponsible practices in the media,” Mr. Dwumfour stated.

In a symbolic move to honour media pioneers, the GJA announced the renaming of its “Best Radio News Reporter” award in honour of Dr. Charles Wereko Brobby, popularly known as “Tarzan,” credited with launching private radio broadcasting in Ghana through Radio Eye.

“We do not only seek to immortalise him,” Mr. Dwumfour explained, “but we believe it is important to form some other means of honouring achievers of our time before they die.”

The event also featured the recognition of 24 individuals and institutions for their contributions to the development of the media sector.

Among them were Mr. Alex Dade, Executive Chairman of the KGL Group, commended for his continued support of media initiatives, as well as former GJA President Ransford Tetteh (Nana Kwaku Dei) and Mr. Peter Martey Agbeko, who were praised for their efforts in advancing the association’s mission.

Mr. Dwumfour further disclosed that initiatives like the Journalists Support Fund would remain a central part of the association’s strategy to improve journalist welfare, adding that annual recognition of media contributors will become a regular GJA calendar event.

He concluded with a rallying call to all stakeholders to uphold the principles of journalism in the digital age. “Let us work together to build a media landscape that is free, vibrant, resilient, innovative, and deeply committed to serving the public interest in this rapidly evolving AI era,” he urged.

Reflecting on Ghana’s press journey, he noted: “We stand today on the firm shoulders of giants — the pioneering journalists, editors, and media owners who boldly championed the cause of press freedom in Ghana through political upheavals and economic hardships.”