The Western and Western North branches of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) have launched the 2026 Media and Corporate Impact Awards, scheduled to take place in Takoradi on September 5, 2026.
The awards, which have Damang Gold Mine as the headline sponsor, are aimed at promoting excellence, professionalism and ethical journalism, while recognising corporate organisations that contribute to development in the two regions.
The event is being held on the theme: Informing Progress, Investing in People.
The Chairman of the Western Region GJA, Mr Desmond Cudjoe, said the awards reflected the association’s commitment to celebrating journalists and institutions that played important roles in national development.
He said journalists had a shared responsibility in building a better society and urged stakeholders to create an environment where media practitioners could perform their constitutional duties without intimidation, violence or undue influence.
“Let us invest in their safety, welfare, skills and professional growth. Because when we invest in journalists, we invest in informed citizens. When citizens are informed, democracy is strengthened. And when democracy is strengthened, development becomes more inclusive, accountable and sustainable,” Mr Cudjoe said.
He noted that major events that had shaped the country were first captured through the eyes, voices and pens of journalists.
According to him, journalists had played key roles in highlighting the construction of schools and hospitals, access to potable water, threats to public resources through corruption, strikes, disasters and elections.
However, Mr Cudjoe expressed concern about the difficult conditions under which many journalists worked.
He said some journalists worked late into the night and travelled long distances on unsafe roads with little or no support, while others reported from illegal mining sites, disaster zones and conflict areas without adequate protective equipment.
He added that many journalists also used their personal resources to purchase data, fuel and recording equipment to carry out their duties.
Mr Cudjoe further raised concerns about job insecurity in the profession, noting that some journalists continued to work under poor conditions, with irregular salaries and uncertain allowances.
“Today is more than the launch of an awards programme. It is a celebration of a profession that often works quietly behind the scenes, yet whose impact resonates in every community, institution and sphere of our national life,” he said.
He explained that development could not be complete without effective communication, stressing that journalism connected development initiatives with the people.
“Development without communication is incomplete. Journalism gives meaning to development because it connects progress to the people. Many development interventions in our communities gained national attention because journalists chose to tell those stories. Many challenges confronting our people found solutions because journalists refused to look away. That contribution deserves recognition,” he added.
Mr Cudjoe urged journalists to uphold the highest standards of professionalism by pursuing truth with accuracy, fairness and balance.
He also encouraged media practitioners to avoid sensationalism, verify information and maintain the ethical standards that gave the profession credibility.
The Divisional Chief of Prestea Himan in the Western Region, Nana Nteboah Pra IV, condemned the growing incidents of violence, attacks and intimidation against journalists in the country.
He stressed that journalists played a critical role in society and urged authorities to address the increasing impunity against media professionals.
“Journalists are frequently attacked, which negatively impacts the democratic fabric of the country and its attractiveness to others,” Nana Pra, who is also a journalist, said.
He urged society to reflect on the challenges faced by journalists and the consequences if such attacks continued unchecked.
He said, “One day, if the media decide that today we are going red flags, people will begin to know the effect of journalism.”
Nana Pra described the recent attack on a staff member of the *Daily Graphic* as a blot on the conscience of Ghanaian society, warning that such incidents could discourage people from carrying out their duties.
“Without us, how do we hear about government? How do we know about happenings within our society? But these same people who are doing their work to bring out this information to us are being attacked almost every day. It distorts our democratic fabric,” he said.
He appealed to authorities not to ignore issues affecting journalists but to take concrete steps to protect media practitioners.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, TAKORADI
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