ActionAid Ghana Sponsors Journalism Award

ActionAid Ghana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA) to sponsor a category in the 20^th GJA Awards with an amount GH 7,000.

At ActionAid, we recognise the importance of establishing strategic alliances with key development partners. These partnerships enable us to increase our interventions in our communities and impact more people living in poverty. ActionAid Ghana’s weekly column in “The Finder” is an example of such a partnership that allows us to share with our readers and supporters social and economic development issues that affect Ghanaians all over the country. From women’s rights, education and food security, we take great pride in sharing these subjects, using “The Finder” as a platform to educate the public on crucial issues that affect so many people living in poverty.

Other partnerships that are of crucial importance are relationships with other development agencies. These organisations work tirelessly to address similar issues of poverty and injustices around Ghana. Together, we can ensure that problems are not neglected, and all vulnerable and marginalised communities and individuals can be empowered to contribute to their own individual change and effect change in their own environment. These consistent partnerships are essential to the success of our organisation. These alliances are crucial to programme implementation, ensuring that our best practices are utilised, and that our interventions and programmes produce positive results.

Of all the partnerships that we have, few are as important as our relationship with the media in Ghana. The impact that the media can have is unparalleled, and we are incredibly grateful for the various media outlets that have covered our work and allowed us to share our story, as well as the media professionals who work vigorously covering the many essential components of poverty to ensure that the general public is well informed. Media outlets have the ability to tell stories that will resonate with people throughout the country, and empower them to make a difference within their community.

This year ActionAid Ghana will sponsor an award in the Human Rights category in the 20^th Ghana Journalism Association (GJA) with hopes of encouraging new and veteran journalists to cover these key issues. It will be awarded to a journalist who reported stories on human rights, poverty and other social issues with great professionalism, offering credible alternatives to dealing with the problem. Media reports that would be considered for the award would also be on subjects such as injustice, neglect, marginalization and inequality.

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to establish a new partnership with the GJA, and we look forward to seeing the impact that the media will continue to have in enabling the public to make informed decisions. The sponsorship is a testament to our appreciation of the media and our recognition of their crucial role to Ghana’s development. We acknowledge that without the media, our job would be significantly harder.

We conduct regular trainings with members of different media houses to inform them of our programmes and key issues that are often ignored or overlooked. This creates a space in which journalists, reporters, editors, producers and presenters can learn together, and engage in discussions regarding how best to present information to their diverse audiences. A recent training that was conducted delved into how best to present topics in local languages to different audiences. It sparked a large debate, as it became evident that word choice has the ability to have such a significant impact. It is of the utmost importance that the language used is deliberate and intentional in order to facilitate positive change.

The Ghanaian media is praised globally for its constitutional right to operate free from political influence and scrutiny. As a result, the media is one of the largest political informers in Ghana, and its contribution to the democratic process is essential to the development of the country. At ActionAid we recognize the importance of such a role, and are excited to support a sector that works to provide the public with relevant and up-to-date information, so that the population would be well informed and participate in the formulation of decisions and policies that affect the development of their communities.

With constant discussions regarding development within Ghana, there is a new opinion every week suggesting how best to make a difference, or what change needs to happen. With the election year coming up, there are countless opinions and ideas of how to turn things around. The media plays an exceptional role within this discourse, as they separate fact from fiction to retrieve the real truth. It is then up to these media houses to consistently present this information in an ethical and moral manner to maintain the trusting relationship between themselves and the reader. The work ethic and professionalism within the Ghanaian media sector is spectacular, and should not be overlooked.

Action Aid Ghana is incredibly privileged to engage with Ghanaian journalists in this way, and we look forward to the ways in which journalism and other forms of media can continue to have an impact within vulnerable and marginalized communities. Addressing issues of poverty and injustice is not an easy task, but the journalists that continue to push and challenge social boundaries deserve this recognition and to be appreciated for the work they do. It is an honour to celebrate these astounding journalists who partner us to work towards our vision of “a world without poverty and injustice in which every person enjoys their right to a life of dignity.” a reality. The winner of the award will be announced on August 15, 2015 at the Banquet Hall.