African Journalists to be honoured in Ghana

Saturday, January 19, 2008 Pg 25 (The Mirror)

By Rebecca Kwei
Ghana will experience the glitz and glamour that characterises the organisation of the 13th CNN Multichoice African Journalists Awards when she hosts media practitioners from Africa, Europe and America in Accra in July this year.
This is the second time that Ghana would be hosting the prestigious event. The first was held in 1995.
At the launch of the awards in Accra on Monday, Mr Samuel Baimbill-Johnson, the General Manager of Multichoice Ghana Limited, said over the past 12 years, the competition had grown in stature, strength and prestige.
He said in 2007, the event attracted a record number of entries from 40 African countries.
The competition will recognise excellence in 16 categories, namely, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Economics and Business, Environment, Free Press Africa, MSD Health and Medical and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Reporting in Africa.
The others are Best Feature in a Consumer Magazine, Photography, Print General News, Radio General News, Sports, Television General News, Features/Current Affairs, News Bulletin, Francophone General News Awards (Print and TV/Radio), Francophone Best Feature in a Magazine and Portuguese Language General News.
From all these category winners, the overall winner will be chosen.
Last year, Richard M. Kavuma from Uganda was awarded the top prize at the awards ceremony held in South Africa.
Mr Baimbill-Johnson said finalists in the competition will participate in a four-day programme that would include workshops, media forum, networking opportunities with senior journalists, editors, business leaders and media owners from across the continent.
The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Ransford Tetteh, appealed to journalists to report on issues that touch the lives of ordinary people.
He said stories should not always be about scandals or politicians and that media practitioners should ensure that basic issues on sanitation, health, education and the environment are given prominence.
“To celebrate African journalist excellence is not only stories about big people but ordinary people,” he said.
Mr Tetteh, who is also the Editor of the Daily Graphic, said focusing on developmental issues did not mean journalists should neglect their role of holding public officers accountable for their actions.
A Senior Advisor to CNN and CEO of Global Media Alliance, Mr Edward Boateng, said the awards programme has over the years grown to be the most prestigious and the event with the widest broadcast coverage on the continent and encouraged Ghanaian journalists to participate in the programme.
The competition is open to African professional journalists including freelancers across print, television, Internet, photographic and radio. Details of how to enter can be found at www.cnn.com/africanawards.
The closing date for entries is February 15, 2008.