The maiden edition of the Inclusive & Anti-conflict Journalism Awards, 2023, organized by the Media Platform on Environment and Climate Change (MPEC) in collaboration with the Minority Rights Group Africa (MRGA) was held in Accra on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
The awards scheme, according to the Executive Director of MPEC, Mary Ama Kudom-Agyemang, was initiated to incentivize journalists to be inclusive in their reportage with more focus on minority and marginalized groups and climate change-related issues.
The Inclusive & Anti-conflict Journalism Awards ceremony was organized under the theme: “Engaging Media and Minorities to Act for Peacebuilding (EMMAP)”, which is a multi-country project funded by the European Union (EU) through the Minority Rights Group (MRG).
The purpose of the EMMAP programme is “to raise public awareness of the interconnections between conflict, migration, and minority exclusion to help build and consolidate sustainable peace” in Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.
Eight deserving journalists from various media platforms, including newspapers, online/wire services, radio and television took home awards for their various journalistic works. Additionally, they received certificates, plaques and various cash prizes.
Mohammed Fugu was victorious in the Print and Online category while Benedicta Gyimaah Folley of Ghanaian Times came in second runner-up.
The wire services category was won by Ghana News Agency (GNA) employee Edward Acquah, with Anthony A. Apubeo, another employee of the media outlet, coming in second.
Prince K. Tamakloe, a Tamale-based reporter for Rainbow Radio/Kesmi FM won the Radio category, while Tahiru Abdul-Washiru, a correspondent for Asaase Radio covering the Savanna region, came in second.
Ivy Priscilla Setordjie and Nana Yaw G. Mensah, two multimedia journalists, took home the TV category titles, respectively.
Out of the eight awardees, Mohammed Fugu, the Northern Regional correspondent for the Graphic Communications Group Limited won the overall best journalist award. He took home a plaque, a medal, a certificate and a juicy cash prize.
Fugu said he was highly elated to win the overall award, adding it would ginger him to work harder by shedding more light on issues relating to minority and marginalized groups and climate change.
The Inclusive & Anti-conflict Journalism Awards ceremony was chaired by media renowned luminary, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo who is now a Professor at the Department of Communication Studies, University of Ghana.
Vice President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Linda Asante Agyei who also attended the event commended MPEC and MRGA for initiating the award scheme to motivate journalists to strive for excellence.
Pulse
