President John Dramani Mahama has announced a GH¢10 million allocation in Ghana's 2027 national budget as seed funding for a Media Development Fund, a commitment intended to support journalists' welfare, training and professional development.

The announcement was made at the 30th anniversary edition of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards in Accra on Saturday, where the country's media community gathered to recognise outstanding journalism.

The allocation, worth about $854,000, is intended to support journalist welfare, professional development, investigative reporting, digital literacy and safety training. Mahama said the funding followed his commitment at the previous awards ceremony to reactivate the fund.

"At the 29th GJA Media Awards, I announced the reactivation of the Media Development Fund to support journalist welfare, professional development, investigative reporting, digital literacy and safety training. I am pleased to announce that government has allocated in the 2027 budget GH¢10 million of seed money for the Media Fund," he said.

Beyond the government's allocation, Mahama said he would personally engage corporate institutions to contribute additional resources to the fund. He named KGL and the Bank of Ghana among the institutions he intended to approach, urging them and other corporate organisations to support the initiative.

"I shall personally work with the GJA to get several other corporate institutions to contribute to the fund. So KGL, Bank of Ghana, all of you, we are coming to you to contribute to the Media Fund," he said.

He assured journalists that the government would continue engaging the GJA and other stakeholders to translate the commitment into practical support, while respecting editorial independence.

The 2027 Budget Statement, which contains the allocation, is due to be presented to Parliament on Thursday, 12 November 2026.

The fund has a chequered history. In the 2012 Budget, the government set aside GH¢1 million to establish a Media Development Fund to improve media organisations' competence and professional output, yet it never became fully operational. In 2013, the Media Foundation for West Africa questioned the allocation's whereabouts and management, saying key bodies, including the National Media Commission, the GJA and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, lacked clarity about its status.

Mahama's announcement therefore turns a pledge first made a year ago into a concrete budget line, although the government itself frames the GH¢10 million as seed capital rather than the full funding the sector needs.

The announcement comes against a difficult backdrop for journalists in Ghana. GJA President Albert Dwumfour told the 30th awards that the association had recorded more than 50 incidents of attacks, assaults, arrests, threats and harassment between 2022 and January 2026. Five incidents were reported in January 2026 alone, with three allegedly involving state security personnel.

There was also encouragement on press freedom. Reporters Without Borders ranked Ghana 39th of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, up from 52nd in 2025, with a score of 72.20. The unresolved murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale remains a reminder, however, that press freedom depends on whether reporters can expose wrongdoing without fear.

Mahama also used the occasion to urge experienced media practitioners, particularly editors, to create opportunities for younger journalists to gain practical newsroom experience and develop their professional skills. He said mentorship and exposure to specialised areas of reporting, including the analysis of public accounts, would equip young journalists with skills they could apply throughout their careers.

"I encourage the Association and experienced editors to make room for younger reporters to learn this work. A young journalist who can sit with an editor and work through a set of public accounts will carry that skill into every story that follows," he said.

At the awards ceremony, Daily Graphic journalist Timothy Ngnenbe emerged as the most decorated journalist of the night, winning three awards for investigative and environmental reporting.