Ghana’s National Security Co-ordinator COP Osman Abdul-Razak has stressed the need for media-security partnership to combat all forms of crime.

According to him, when the press or media exposes corruption, it protects the public purse more than any prosecution.

He said this during a two-day residential capacity-building workshop on responsible security reporting in support of Ghana’s national security priorities.

COP Osman Abdul-Razak

The workshop held at Platinum Bay Hotel at Abokobi, Accra, was on the theme: “Media as a strategic partner in preventive security and early warning in Ghana.”

COP Abdul-Razak pointed out that responsible journalism plays a critical role in protecting Ghana’s democracy and strengthening national security, emphasising that the media must be recognised as an important partner in preventive security.

The national security co-ordinator said Ghana’s information space plays an important part in the country’s national security perimeter, alongside its borders, territory and security installations.

COP Osman Abdul-Razak with Mr.David Tamakloe, President of PRINPAG

According to him, national security must be concerned with responsible media reportage because a free and responsible press can serve as an instrument of security, adding that truthful and responsible reporting during periods of tension could help calm the nation and prevent misinformation from escalating into conflict.

“This is because when the press reports truthfully in moments of tension, it becomes the nation’s steady hand,” he added.

He explained that Ghana’s democracy had remained outstanding in a region of coups, because in decisive moments, the press had chosen responsibility.

COP Osman Abdul-Razak,Shamima Muslim and other officials in a group photograph with participants

According to him, Ghana’s democratic stability in a region that has experienced a number of military takeovers could partly be attributed to the responsible role played by the media during critical moments.

The workshop for selected members of Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association Ghana (PRINPAG) was not intended for a national security co-ordinator to lecture journalists, but rather the intension was to create an opportunity for both institutions to learn from each other.

He, therefore, advised PRINPAG members to develop practical and meaningful proposals on how the media and security institutions can work together, while safeguarding the principles of press freedom and responsible journalism.

The participants were taken through topics such as Ghana’s national security architecture, emerging and asymmetric security threats, communal conflicts, and conflicts-sensitivity.

Other topics included the security and intelligence agencies Act, 2026 (Act 1168), media, national security, strategic communication, ethics, national interest, press freedom, etc.By:Isaac Amoah