President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo has said that he does not regret his role in getting criminal libel law repealed.
According to him, he prefers the media’s role of checking government and criticizing its activities rather than a praise-singing one.
Speaking at his first special interaction with the media at the Flagstaff House in Accra, Akufo-Addo said although he has been one of the most victimized persons by the media, he believes it was important that the media had the ability to do so.
Nana Akufo-Addo, who served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice under the John Kufuor government in 2001 led the government to ensure the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law that saw government controlling private media.
The repeal, which was largely praised by media owners and practitioners, de-criminalizes libel and gives citizens the option to use civil means to check the practice of journalism in Ghana.
Many have said that that the repeal of the law, despite a positive stride, has resulted in irresponsible reportage and inappropriate content across some media platforms in the country.