Ghanaian blogger Eugene Osarfo-Nkansah, President of the New Media Association of Ghana, has revealed how he went from distrusting social media to leading a national digital-media movement.
He told Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z with Kwame Dadzie that his shift from traditional media to blogging wasn’t straightforward; it began with deep suspicion.
He admitted that, at first, he regarded social media as dangerous: “Let me say on record that I was one of the people that thought that social media was part of the anti-Christ. I didn’t like it at all. I thought that it was exposing us too much. I didn’t know that there was a business side to it.”
His change of heart came thanks to fellow media personality Ameyaw Debrah, who urged him to explore digital avenues alongside his work in newspapers and radio.
“Ameyaw said ‘Chale this is something you can add to what you do in mainstream media, and I always say that I registered my company in his house,” he said.
Now in charge of Nkonkonsa.com, Eugene sees blogging as full of opportunity. That’s why he established the New Media Association of Ghana. The association aims to unite bloggers, podcasters, vloggers and other online content creators across Ghana. It offers professional development and networking, and has already begun hosting training programmes for members, covering topics such as digital journalism ethics, monetisation strategies, social-media audience growth and cybersecurity basics.
The New Media Association of Ghana supports content creators by lobbying for digital-media rights and helping shape favourable government policy for new media.
It also organises workshops in Kumasi, Accra and other regions, promotes collaboration among members, and runs an annual awards event to celebrate excellence in Ghanaian digital media.