The Role of Mass Communication in Ghana’s Rural Development: A Case Study of Wa West District

Abstract

Broadcasters cover diverse issues and events and report them in mass media without any scruple and scarcely factual. Despite the overhyped impartiality and self-acclaimed devotion to justices, a case can be made that Ghana mass media has over the years, solely neglected the rural areas. This research used both qualitative and quantitative data based on some programme analysis. Study data for this research work was collected through first hand details of information. The study selected one district from the Upper West Region and 3 communities from the selected district (Wa West district). The communities include Siriyiri, Dorimo and Ballefia. The research findings suggest that, rural broadcasting in the Ghana mass media is still below appreciable standard to enable us position an assertion that, rural broadcasting plays any worthwhile role in rural development in Ghana. This is due to the imbalance in information flow (urban to rural) which has no useful value; rather it exacerbates the disparity between urban and rural populace and advance rural-urban drift, thus deteriorating the current unemployment situation in Ghana.

Keywords: mass communication, rural development, development broadcasting, Ghana.