With the threat of climate change breathing it heat on the country, a section of the media in the five Northern regions in Ghana, have pledged their commitment to champion pertinent issues pertaining to the environment in the regions.
They made the commitment at a Media Advocacy Workshop organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) with support from the European Union (EU) in Tamale.
The Workshop on the theme: Effective Public Education on Environmental Governance and Amendment of Relevant Constitutional Provisions in Relation to Anti-Corruption Laws: The Role of the Media was attended by selected journalists practicing in the northern part of the country.
Whereas others pledged to intensify efforts to support NCCE to educate the public on the need to pay critical attention to the proper utilisation of environmental resources, others also stated their interest to work on flooding, illegal logging, bush and charcoal burning among others.
Likewise, some also shared their intention to further look at writing features on preserving economic trees including the Shear and Dawadawa threes and Rosewood.
Ms. Josephine Nkrumah, Chairman of the NCCE commended the participants for their commitment, urging them to endeavour to look at how environmental activities affect the livelihoods of people in the regions.
She stressed the need for consistent engagement between the NCCE and the Media who she described as having a symbiotic relation in discharging their respective mandates.
Beyond news production, Ms. Nkrumah urged the media to not relent in informing the public on pertinent issues that can help thrive Ghana’s democracy.
Treating the topic: The Media and Effective Public/Civic Education on Environmental Governance, Mr. George Sarpong, Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission, charged media professionals to adopt storytelling approaches in presenting their stories.
He urged them to be self-motivated in their work and also look at the policy and governance perspective of environmental governance issues.
Similarly, Dr. Kojo Asante, Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement of CCD, Ghana, who stressed on the need for everyone to care about corruption issues in the country, said provisions in the 1992 Constitution were silent on defining corruption.
Speaking on The Role of the Media in Promoting Effective Public/Civic Education on Amendment of Relevant Constitutional Provisions in Relation to Anti-Corruption Laws, Dr. Asante called for a new architecture of the Constitution that properly defines corruption and make adequate provisions to help the fight corruption.
To sustain the media work, Mr. Samuel Asare Akuamoah, Deputy Chairman-Operation, NCCE, entreated Journalists to consistently improve upon their skills through training in order to churn out results.
The Workshop in Tamale, the first of three to be organised in Kumasi and Accra, is part of the Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP), focuses on supporting the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) of Ghana among others.
The three NCCE/EU Zonal Media Advocacy Workshops, targeting eighty (80) selected journalists across the country, aim to increase public education on anti-corruption efforts and environmental governance in Ghana.
Certificates were presented to participants at the end of the programme.
*Ms. Nkrumah with dignitaries and a section of the participants. 
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