Bunkpurugu MP Hails GH¢10m Media Fund as Long-Awaited Breakthrough, Says Bipartisan Support Building

The allocation of GH¢10 million as seed money for the Media Development Fund has broken years of political deadlock and unmet promises, the Member of Parliament for Bunkpurugu, Dr Abednego Lamangin Bandim, has said, disclosing that lawmakers on both sides of the House have welcomed the initiative.

“We have waited for it for a very long time,” Dr Bandim said on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, November 9, describing the announcement by President John Dramani Mahama as the first substantial financial commitment by any president toward media development in Ghana .

The seed funding, announced at the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards in Accra on Saturday, November 7, is expected to be included in the 2027 Budget Statement to be presented to Parliament on Thursday, November 12. The fund is intended to support journalists’ welfare, professional development, investigative reporting, digital literacy and safety training .

A Long Road From 2011

The Media Development Fund is not a new idea. It was first announced in September 2011 by then-Vice President Mahama at the GJA Awards, with GH¢1 million allocated in the 2012 Budget. The fund was expected to become operational that year but was never fully realised, with questions raised over its management, administration and disbursement arrangements .

Dr Bandim said the President’s background as a journalist, communications practitioner, former Minister of Communications and GJA member had shaped expectations that he would eventually deliver on the commitment. “People are not surprised because it was expected that it will take President John Mahama to do this, to make this announcement, to make this commitment, because he is one of us, a journalist himself,” he said .

The Bunkpurugu MP, who holds a PhD in communications management, said discussions had begun in Parliament on the legislative process for establishing the fund. He indicated that the relevant committee would take up the bill when presented as a Private Member’s Bill, though he did not specify a timeline .

Mobilising Corporate Support

President Mahama said he would personally engage corporate institutions, specifically naming KGL Group and the Bank of Ghana, to contribute to the fund. “So KGL, Bank of Ghana, all of you, we’re coming to you to contribute to the media fund,” he said at the awards ceremony .

The President also addressed journalist safety, expressing concern about harassment by some security personnel and pledging that incidents involving the unfair treatment of journalists would attract appropriate action . The GJA has documented more than 50 incidents of attacks, assaults, arrests and harassment of journalists between 2022 and January 2026 .

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Background: A Fund That Must Deliver

The revival comes amid mounting pressure on Ghana’s media industry. Poor remuneration, irregular salaries and job insecurity have left many journalists vulnerable to inducements, while media owners struggle with financial sustainability . The Media Foundation for West Africa has cautioned that the fund’s success will depend on clear governance structures, operational independence and transparency in disbursement—safeguards that were absent in 2011 when the fund stalled . With Parliament now poised to consider the legislative framework, the question of who controls the fund and how grants are allocated will determine whether it strengthens independent journalism or becomes another instrument of political leverage. For Dr Bandim and his colleagues, the bipartisan welcome is a start. The test will be whether the money reaches newsrooms and translates into measurable improvements in the lives and work of journalists.