Coalition for Transparency of the Airwaves (CoTA) will have a Silent Voice Walk on World Press Freedom Day, 03 May 2012. The gathering time is 8 a.m, venue Efua Sutherland Children's Park and the start of walk time is 10.00am.

The guiding principle of CoTA is that genuine democratic transformation requires genuine media freedom, independence, diversity and pluralism. CoTA is taking the opportunity of World Press Freedom Day on 03 May 2012 to deepen public awareness about the relationship between democratic transformation and the legal and regulatory arrangements around the media in Ghana.

The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) as one of steering committee members of CoTA has mobilised members from its Human rights Cities in Nima/Mamobi, Bongo and West Mamprusi Districts for the Voice Walk.

The theme selected by UNESCO for this year’s World Press Freedom Day is: "New Voices - Media Freedom Helping to Transform." It is particularly apt because the voices of marginalized communities continue to be denied by the continuing withholding of frequencies to genuine non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian Community Radio initiatives.

The immediate objectives of the CoTA Voice Walk are to raise awareness and mobilize government action to:
• Expedite the award of broadcast frequencies to genuine, non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian Community Radio initiatives
• Enact a Broadcasting Law in keeping with best practice, including an independent broadcasting regulator and the non-award of frequencies to partisan and sectarian interests.

A peaceful Ghana should have responsible democratic broadcasting which requires equitable and
transparent allocation of a public resource; the airwaves.

Please click here for CoTA  STATEMENT