Ghana’s freedom of speech enables foreign diplomats to join national discourse – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the freedom of speech in Ghana is at an all-time high.

According to the president, this has enabled some foreign diplomats in Ghana to contribute to issues that Ghanaian diplomats in foreign countries are not allowed to comment on.

He made this known while delivering the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in parliament on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

“Indeed, freedom of speech has now reached such heights that even members of the diplomatic corps feel able to join in our national discourse and pronounce on matters that would be problematic for Ghanaian diplomats in their countries of origin,” he stated.

The president added, “we live in a country in which we enjoy complete freedom of expression, association, assembly, religion and political affiliation.”

However, he stressed that “the important thing about the free speech environment is actually to try and hear each other, instead of raising the decibel level of our individual points of view.”

The president further commended parliament for serving as a reminder to all that Ghana has chosen on the path of democracy.

At the heart of that journey, he said, is the idea that the government can only govern with the people’s consent.

A feat he urged Ghanaians not to take for granted.

This comes after Ghana was ranked 60th in the Global Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Border,  dropping from an initial 30th position.

The latest report is out of 180 countries assessed, with Ghana recording a decline in its indicative points from 78.67 per cent to 67.43 compared to last year.