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Oboshie apologises for media glitches
Accra, July 1, GNA – The Deputy Minister of Information and
National Orientation, Mrs. Oboshie Sai -Cofie, on Sunday
apologised for media glitches that left scores of
journalists frustrated and cut out especially during the
opening session of the African Union Summit at the Accra
International Conference Centre.
“We apologise for not honouring our promise to allow 150
journalists to enter the mail hall,” she said at a press
briefing shortly after the opening during which frustrated
and angry journalists who had been forced to cover the
events from GTV decided to send a petition to the AU and the
Ghana government.
“Unfortunately, a lot of the heads of state came out with
security concerns that allowed more (people) in and the hall
was filled. We therefore had to rethink our strategy,” she
said.
Mrs Sai-Cofie said what they did was to do a back-up plan in
which journalists were allowed in 10s.
She also noted that GTV went off air and said the state
broadcaster explained that it was off air due to power
problem.
On the confusion after the opening where security men
refused to allow journalists to either get close to the
Heads of State or even leave the AICC, Mrs Sai Cofie
explained that the security chief at the Conference Centre
had been told that the journalists were intending to present
a petition to the Heads of State and he took the decision to
stop them from going close to the leaders.
“Unfortunately, some people only wanted to leave the
centre,” she said, adding that the government was too media
friendly to take an action like that. This was just a result
of miscommunication, she said.
She announced that Mr Fank Agyekum, Government Spokesman on
Governance, Mr Eugene Akrofi, Media Liaison Officer at the
Ministry of Information and an AU official would be in
charge of the sitation.
Discussions are also ongoing to allow journalists into the
lobby of the AICC.
The Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Akwasi Osei-Adjei, also
apologized and said they were looking at the programme
again.
Meanwhile, conspicuously absent from the opening of the
Summit was the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Colonel Gaddafi, a strong advocate of the African Union,
arrived in Accra on Saturday by road and called on AU
Chairman, President John Agyekum Kufuor, but he was absent
from opening session.
GNA
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