Wa, May 12, GNA – The Action for Sustainable Development (ASUDEV), a nongovernmental organisation, has awarded the Ghana News Agency (GNA) office in Upper West for championing social accountability issues through meticulous, factual, accurate and balanced reporting.
The national news agency was honoured for producing the story titled: “Furniture shortages compel Bosuoyir primary pupils to learn on bare ground” which swiftly caught the attention of authorities and philanthropists to assist the school.
A plaque it received on Saturday night read: “This is in recognition of your immense journalistic contribution to the promotion of social accountability in the Upper West Region through your reporting. On this occasion, the citizens of the Upper West Region are proud of you. You are a development champion”.
Chairman of the Independent Award Committee, Dr Damasus Tuurosong, congratulated the Agency saying, “We know the amount of effort you put into churning out the story entitled ‘furniture shortages compel pupils to learn on bare ground,’ your efforts are appreciated”.
“The impact and potential impact of your story is enormous. Your story was well articulated, contained the facts and figures and above all invited the necessary authorities to address the problem”.
The GNA’s stringer for Nadowli-Kaleo District, Mavis Okyere, was also patted on the shoulder for daring to churn out the news report about the furniture shortages in a remote rural school, Bosuoyir Primary, which compelled over 100 pupils to receive lessons on bare ground.
The award to Ms Okyere is seen as a major boost to the agency’s rebuilding efforts as management strive towards strengthening the stringer network nationwide to augment regular reporters in the newsroom for elaborate coverage of various sectors of the economy.
“The facts and figures sincerely embedded in the story made it outstanding,” Dr Tuurosong said ahead of the presentation of the awards.
The GNA Upper West Regional Manager, Mr Dasmani Laary, on behalf the General Manager Mr Albert Kofi Owusu received the award package that included a 40-inche flat screen television set and a plaque.
He dedicated the award to the people of Upper West for supporting the GNA enviable brand and expressed his profound gratitude to ASUDEV and its partners – Star Ghana Foundation, UKaid, European Union and DANIDA, for supporting to organise the maiden awards that recognised the contributions of hardworking reporters and media houses in promoting national development.
“We at the Ghana News Agency are most grateful to the organisers and the people of Upper West for recognising our unique role as a newswire service with the mandate to promoting national development and social cohesion,” he added.
“This award will embolden us as a team to continue to discharge our responsibilities and upholding the highest journalistic standards in the region and the country at large to promote development”.
The Executive Director of ASUDEV Mr Kanton Luriwie Osman highlighted the indispensable role of the media as gatekeepers and watchdogs in protecting public interest.
However, he expressed worry that over the years the Ghanaian media have surged towards providing more space in discussing partisan politics which sometimes lead journalists to be “over-concentrating on trivial political discourse at the expense of local development”.
This award event is our widows might to reward journalists and media houses who have demonstrated commitment to the promotion of social accountability through innovative programming and reporting,” he said.
“It is our hope the success of this event would open more doors for promoting media activities for improved delivery of social services in our communities”.
Mr iddrisu Dasaanah of Radio Progress was adjudged the overall best with the GNA as an instrumental organisation reporting on social accountability emerging second with its stringer for Nadowli-Kaleo Mavis Okyere scooping the third slot.
Multimedia Group Joy FM’s regional correspondent Rafiq Salam grabbed the fourth place while Joseph Oswell of WFM picked the fifth position.
Fourteen entries were received from media organisations and individual journalists for the maiden awards.
