GNA, Malaysia News Agency to Exchange News

Top officials of the Malaysia News Agency (Bernama) and the Ghana News Agency (GNA) have declared their intention to exchange news and information in the spirit of south-south co-operation to boost information flow between their two countries.

The decision was arrived at when a delegation from Malaysia led by Dr Arshad Hashim, Secretary General of the Ministry of Information, called on Mrs Georgina Baiden, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, and management personnel of the GNA in Accra.

Mr Jaafar Hussin, Editor-in-Chief of Bernama, the Malaysian News Agency, expressed his agency's desire to enter into a news exchange programme with the GNA.

He said this would be the bridge to further strengthen relations between Ghana and Malaysia.

He noted that countries of the south had always relied on the developed world for news and information about themselves, which are often negative.

Mr Hussin said Bernama had already entered into an agreement with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as well as with South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

From Ghana, the delegation will visit Senegal on a similar mission.

Mr Hussin presented a memorandum of understanding on the news exchange proposal to Mr Robert Kafui Johnson, General Manager of the GNA, and expressed the hope that the two agencies would agree to sign it either in Accra or Kuala Lumpur to pave the way for other things to follow.

Dr Hashim said the delegation had also presented a memorandum to government on the establishment of a South-South Information Gateway, which will be a centre for the daily exchange of news and information about member countries.

Mrs Baiden thanked the delegation for the visit and the readiness of Bernama to exchange news and information with the GNA, which, she hoped, would be beneficial to both parties.

She said the Board and management of the GNA would study the document and confer with the sector minister to reach a consensus before signing it.

Mr Edward Ameyibor, Supervising Chief Editor, noted that the exchange programme would spread the acronym of the agency, GNA, far and wide and thereby boost the image of the country.