Kumasi: Transparency International Ghana has organised a two-day media training workshop to strengthen journalists' understanding of defence integrity as a distinct area of governance and accountability.
According to Ghana News Agency, the workshop brought together 30 selected journalists in the Ashanti Region and was organised with technical support from the Transparency International Defence and Security Unit and funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This initiative addressed a recurring gap identified in the organisation's engagement with journalists and media houses in Ghana-a willingness to report on governance and accountability issues, but with limited exposure to the specific frameworks, indicators, and terminology required for rigorous and credible defence integrity reporting.
Participants were introduced to Transparency International's Government Defence Integrity Index and related assessment tools, learning how these could be applied in investigative and analytical reporting on Ghana's defence sector. Mrs Mary Awelana Addah, Executive Director of Transparency International Ghana, highlighted that the organisation, through its Defence and Security Unit based in the United Kingdom, had built a substantial body of work over the past decade on defence and security governance to support global efforts to reduce corruption risks in defence institutions.
She noted that the defence and security sector, due to its confidentiality requirements, limited parliamentary oversight, and high-value procurement, remains one of the most corruption-prone areas of public administration and among the least scrutinised by citizens and the media. Mrs Addah emphasised that effective defence reporting requires specialised knowledge, including an understanding of the legitimate boundaries of national security confidentiality, familiarity with procurement and budgetary processes unique to the sector, and the professional judgement to pursue accountability reporting without compromising operational security. Without such grounding, media coverage of the defence sector often leans towards either silence or sensationalism, neither of which serves the public interest.
Dr Michael Ofori-Mensah, Research Lead at Transparency International Defence and Security, facilitated sessions aimed at demystifying the defence sector to strengthen integrity, accountability, and national security. He shared comparative experiences from journalist training programmes on defence governance in other countries, noting that evolving geopolitical tensions and armed conflicts across sub-Saharan Africa had reshaped security priorities. Dr Ofori-Mensah stressed the importance of civil society organisations and the media continuing to build capacity and foster dialogue among key stakeholders while drawing public attention to critical issues affecting the defence sector.
Mr Michael Boadi, Fundraising Manager at Transparency International Ghana, conducted a session on the role of the media in defence and security reporting. He highlighted the importance of responsible reporting and explained why certain information must remain confidential to safeguard national security, maintain peace, and prevent potential security threats.