The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has appointed a nine-member committee to assess entries for its 30th Media Awards, which will be held in Accra on 7 November 2026.
The panel was inaugurated by GJA President Albert Kwabena Dwumfour during the official launch of the awards on 7 October. It will be chaired by Kobby Asmah, Commissioner of the National Media Commission and former Editor of the Daily Graphic.
Its members are A.C. Ohene, Senior Editor, Special Assignment, Adom FM/TV, Multimedia Group; Richard Mensah, Editor, Citi FM/TV; and Ellen Avorgbedor, former Central Regional Director of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
The committee also includes Christian Akorli, former Senior Editor and Head of Economics and Financial Desk at the Ghana News Agency; Nana Kwasi Appiah, Senior Photojournalist at the Information Services Department (ISD); and Georgina Naa-Maku Quaittoo, Editor of The Spectator, New Times Corporation.
Kingsley Nsiah-Poku, former Deputy Managing Director of Atinka Media Village, and Awudu Mahama, Managing Editor of The Custodian Newspaper, complete the panel.
Mr Dwumfour said the committee’s work would be central to maintaining the credibility and integrity of the awards.
“We expect its members to approach their work with fairness, independence, transparency and professionalism,” he stated.
The committee will independently review all submitted work before presenting its report and recommendations to the GJA National Executive for consideration and approval of the winners within three weeks.
Record-level submissions
The GJA said 327 entries were submitted by 206 journalists before the deadline, making it one of the highest totals recorded in recent years. Online media accounted for 125 entries, followed by television with 111, print with 46 and radio with 45.
Two categories have been added for the 2026 awards. The New Media Platform Awards are intended to encourage professionalism among bloggers and new-media practitioners, while the Governor’s Economic and Financial Story of the Year Award is sponsored by the Bank of Ghana. More than 10 entries were received for the latter, despite it being introduced for the first time.
The ceremony will be held under the theme: “30th GJA Media Awards: Celebrating Excellence, Advancing Media Freedom and Combating Hate Speech in the Digital Age.”
Mr Dwumfour said the theme reflects both the significance of the anniversary and the challenges facing journalism, including hate speech and misinformation online.
President John Dramani Mahama, a GJA member, will attend as Special Guest of Honour. The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Patron of the GJA, and the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, will also attend.
GJA demands report on journalist attacks
At the launch, Mr Dwumfour condemned alleged attacks on journalists by military personnel during demolition exercises at Laboma Beach and La Pleasure Beach.
He named Philip Abutiate of Bullet TV and Kweku Dennis Sika of Sika Official among those involved, and gave the Ghana Armed Forces two weeks to submit a comprehensive report on its investigations and any action against personnel found culpable.
“Failure by the Ghana Armed Forces to provide a satisfactory report within the two-week period will leave the GJA with no option but to escalate the matter through all appropriate legal, institutional and public accountability channels,” he warned.
Instituted in the early 1990s, the GJA Media Awards are Ghana’s leading platform for recognising excellence in journalism, with the 30th edition being presented as a milestone legacy event.
The launch was attended by Chief of Staff Hon. Julius Debrah, Ministers of State, members of the Diplomatic Corps, corporate partners including KGL Group, and senior journalists.
Mr Dwumfour also thanked the President for tasking the GJA, together with the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), with leading a national dialogue on hate speech and other problems within the media ecosystem, particularly on new media platforms.
