WILBERFORCE SEFAKOR DZISAH | GHANA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by WILBERFORCE SEFAKOR DZISAH

Palgrave Macmillan eBooks, Oct 10, 2014

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

Ghana was an early beneficiary of media, journalism, and communication infrastructure in Africa. ... more Ghana was an early beneficiary of media, journalism, and communication infrastructure in Africa. The country emerged out of colonialism as the first black African country south of the Sahara to achieve political independence in 1957. Its infrastructure, while it could not be equated to that of the developed world, provided the basis for the growth of a vibrant media sector. Contemporary issues and debates about media systems in Ghana, therefore, draw on both past and present experiences and practices.

Springer eBooks, 2020

The chapter contextualizes the evolving democratic credentials of social media as a contemporary ... more The chapter contextualizes the evolving democratic credentials of social media as a contemporary tool in broadening the participatory principle of Ghana’s multiparty democracy. In order to unravel the efficacy of this emerging phenomenon, the chapter deployed relevant theories, concepts and methods and engaged with empirical arguments to establish the nexus between social media, democracy, participation and engagement. These empirical analyses and discussions produced a point of convergence—democratization of communication for active participation of citizens. It is argued that social media as a participatory and mobilizing platform for electoral democracy does not take away the vital role of traditional media in Ghana’s democratic process. Also of value are the concerns of civil society for a regulatory framework to guide the use of social media before, during and after elections to curb the propagation of unsubstantiated information on these platforms.

Ghana Journal of Development Studies, 2016

The publication of Responsible Journalism and Quest for Professional Standards in Ghana could not... more The publication of Responsible Journalism and Quest for Professional Standards in Ghana could not have been timely. One of the most strident concerns in this Fourth Republic of Ghana's democracy has been about the performance of Ghana's media within the institutional arrangement of the country's governance and social structure. In the media, among researchers and experts on media and democracy, and in public spaces, the concern has been rife that the Ghanaian media are not living up to general expectation. The expectation is the acknowledged information role of the media in ensuring citizens' welfare and enhancing the democratization process of the country. This comes as a black spot to media that has earlier been hugely applauded for their contribution in the fight against both colonialism and dictatorship and in restoring democratic governance to the country. The book is therefore relevant to media and journalistic practice in Ghana and also provides a window for the understanding of media work and it constraints and rewards in the country.

Legon Journal of the Humanities

This study presents what can be described as a how-to-text on how community radio (CR) can be cre... more This study presents what can be described as a how-to-text on how community radio (CR) can be creatively used to address low civic involvement in policy-making in Ghana’s local governance units. The study employed a qualitative research approach. In-depth interviews were used to collect data from representatives of some key stakeholder institutions in Ghana’s local governance system, CR as well as from a community media expert. The study found that CR in Ghana can serve as effective tools for mobilising people to participate in policy-making in local governance through creative programming. Another finding is that the ability of villagers to contribute to radio content, and to participate in policy-related debates via phone-ins, could be limited by their inability to buy telephone credit due to their poverty status. The study unearthed weak linguistic proficiency on the part of the CR workers, which thwarts their ability to handle local government policies, which are technical in na...

Ghana Journal of Development Studies, 2019

This paper examined the relevance of communications strategies in improving domestic funding of o... more This paper examined the relevance of communications strategies in improving domestic funding of orphanages in Ghana and in particular SOS Children Villages. With funding diculties being faced by both State and non-State actors such United Nations Children’s Fund, most of the orphanages are struggling to generate enough funds to take care of the social needs of the orphanages. The study used quantitative (constructivist) and qualitative (motivations, ideas and opinions) methods to address the key objectives of the paper – funding deciencies and the critical role of the media and communication strategies in solving the problem. It established the importance of communication strategies using media dependency and advocacy theories for social mobilization and behavioural change. The paper concludes that orphanages need a communication strategic plan for advocacy and resource mobilisation. A key recommendation is for a national policy framework to assist establish an endowment fund for or...

The study critically examines the role played by the news media in a modern African democracy. Th... more The study critically examines the role played by the news media in a modern African democracy. The issues of democracy and the theories that drive them are mostly either Euro-centric or Anglo-American. The perspective offered by this thesis showed that Africa has a unique system which calls for a hybridised approach to the study of media and democracy. The functioning of a state-owned media, insulated from governmental control by the 1992 Ghana Constitution alongside privately-owned media is a phenomenon worth the undertaking. What the study has done was an engagement with normative theories of media and democracy to determine whether or not the news media and more particularly, the newspaper media contribute to democratic development of Ghana. In this context, a comparative analytical study of the Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Chronicle, state and private entities respectively, underpinned the enquiry into the possible influences on elections, checks on democratic accountability a...