It was all full of speeches that beat home the need to reinvent the wheel, being innovative to match fast changing trend, industry rebranding among memsbers of Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG).
The midday event was full of hope and reassuring as new executives were sworn-in to take up the ‘packs and pieces’ from the outgone leadership.
David Tamakloe’s leadership carries a herculean task of repositioning, rebranding, redirecting the newspaper and online publishers’ industry to catch up with modern trends of information dissemination.
To grace the occassion, the Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, Mrs Shamima Muslim, in her keynote speech called on industry players to ‘rebuild public trust, embrace digital innovation, and adapt storytelling methods to stay relevant’ in the fast-evolving media landscape.
“I hear from friends that they avoid the news because it makes them sad or anxious,” she said. “Many now find comfort in binge-watching TV series or scrolling endlessly on TikTok. So how do we build trust in an untrusting world?”
As a journalist, she urged the media to evolve their narrative structures to focus on constructive journalism and inclusive storytelling. “If your audience is on TikTok, how do you bring your content there? How do you animate your journalism for the platforms where people actually are?”
While congratulating the new leadership PRINPAG and extending a farewell to the outgone executive for their courage and service, Mrs Shamima Muslim noted, “The easiest thing is to lament and criticize. The hardest is to step forward and lead, especially through elections. Leadership is not easy, and those who have served must be celebrated.”
She stressed the need for relevance as that is now a survival strategy when she touched on the industry’s financial challenges. “It’s not just about money. If people don’t find you relevant, they won’t invest their attention or resources in your content. You either innovate or die.”
Meanwhile, the new President of PRINPAG in his acceptance speech pledged sweeping reforms to restore the visibility, credibility, and sustainability of Ghana’s private print and online media.
Mr. Tamakloe posited that “advertising is not charity; it is a value exchange,” promising to position PRINPAG members as professional partners, not beggars, in the media business ecosystem.
He decried the invisibility of many member newspapers and pledged strategic investments in digital tools and platforms to amplify their reach and influence.
Rejecting what he called “degrading chicken chain (Soli) handouts,” the PRINPAG president called on journalists to embrace dignity over sensationalism, professionalism over popularity.
“We must raise the bar on professionalism. When we value ourselves, others will value us.”
To improve member welfare, Mr. Tamakloe announced the launch of the PRINPAG Foundation, a dedicated fund to support members and their families during times of need. He also unveiled his personal commitment to a “Path to Reading” initiative aimed at reviving a culture of reading among journalists and the wider public.
These bold initiatives will be anchored on four pillars: empowerment, advertisement growth, visibility, and integrity.
“This is not a one-man mission. If we unite behind these values, there is nothing we cannot achieve,” he concluded.
