On Tuesday, May 28, 2024, the second edition of the Inclusive & Anti-Conflict Journalism Awards in Ghana took place in Accra, with Mohammed Fugu of the Daily Graphic, Tamale, emerging as the 2024 Overall Best Inclusive and Conflict Prevention Reporter among six finalists in the print, television and online categories.
With his story titled: “Trapped in Crossfire,” Mohammed was also adjudged the 2024 Best Reporter in the print category.
While, Timothy Ngnenbe, also of the Daily Graphic, Accra was the 2024 Second Best Reporter in the Print/Newspaper Category with his story: “Loss, damage fund: Can COP28 save vulnerable countries?”
In the Television category, Kumasi based Joy News reporters, Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe and Mona Lisa Frimpong, were respectively adjudged the 2024 Best and Second Best Inclusive and Conflict Prevention Reporters. Their stories were tilted: “Farmer-Herder Feud: A weakened fight?” and “Clean air: Wood dust; the silent killer of Ghanaian woodworkers.”
Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of ApexNewsGh won the 2024 Best Inclusive and Conflict Prevention Reporter in the Online/Wire Service category with his story titled: “The Horrors of Witchcraft Accusation.” While Anthony Adongo Apubeo of the Ghana News Agency, Bolgatanga became the 2024 Second Best Second Best Inclusive and Conflict Prevention Reporter with his story headed: “Bawku chieftaincy conflict: Threat to achieving SDG four.”
There was no winner in the Radio category.
The Awards Event
The awards event was organised by the Media Platform on Environment and Climate Change (MPEC) and Minority Rights Group Africa (MRGA). The event was part of activities under the EU-funded “Engaging Media and Minorities to Act for Peacebuilding (EMMAP)” project implemented in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Senegal.
Former President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and CEO of RAM Media Consult, Nana Roland Affail Monney, who chaired the awards event, congratulated the winners and commended the organisers of the scheme.
He called for the institutionalisation of more of such award schemes because of their impact on journalistic outputs. “The more of such awards, the more journalists will be motivated to enter such schemes and the more they win, the more it will impact on the quality of their work,” Nana Roland stated, adding, “… when the quality of their work improves, it will bring about an overall quality to the activities of media houses.”
Earlier, he urged the winners to be persistent in advocating the issues that won them the awards, saying, “sharpen your focus on these critical issues. Never cease to advocate for them until you see a change. That is how you merit winning these awards.”
General Secretary of the GJA, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Adaptation Plan Ambassador, Kofi Yeboah, implored journalists not to focus coverage on only the negatives, to the neglect of the positive aspects of issues.
“There are positive things also happening. For instance, how people are leveraging climate change to do positive things, and also the achievements of individuals in minority groups,” he added.
Kofi touched on the Disability Act 2006, (Act 715) of Ghana and said following its passage, a 10-year moratorium was given for all public buildings to be made accessible and available to persons with disabilities. He queried how many journalists have bothered to investigate what has been the outcome so far.
“Are we not interested in them? Are they not people whose rights are being infringed upon? He quizzed,” and said, “these are challenges that we need to take up as journalists and the media.”
Executive Director of MPEC Ghana, Mary Ama Kudom-Agyemang, described the awards scheme as a modest event to motivate and incentivise journalists to pay closer attention to issues of conflict, migration, climate change and minority exclusion. “The subject matter of minority exclusion and its associated issues, are sometimes hidden and not very obvious and require greater attention to notice and expose.”
She was happy with the impact EMMAP has made so far, saying: “The evidence of our impact and spread is quite clear, if you consider that five of the six finalists gathered here today for this awards ceremony come from the Ashanti, Northern and Upper East regions.”
Synopsis of the Award-Winning Stories
Mohammed’s story
“Trapped in crossfire,” sought to find out the impact of the protracted conflict in the Bawku area on persons with disabilities, a subject matter that has never been reported nor researched on before. His motivation was an observation that often, abled body individuals are better able to escape the effects of violent outbreaks and attacks. But when persons of disabilities are caught in a crossfire, they become totally helpless and are at the mercy of others.
Timothy’s story: “Loss, damage fund: Can COP 28 save vulnerable countries?” was a clarion call on the international community, particularly developed countries, to fast-track the process of setting up the proposed “Loss and Damage Fund” under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to support vulnerable populations that are unduly suffocating from the negative impact of the global climate crisis. Although least developed countries, particularly in Africa, contribute less significantly to global emissions, they were the most impacted on by the climate crisis.
Emmanuel’s television story: “Farmer-Herder Conflict: A weakened fight,” confirmed earlier research findings that the farmer-herder conflict, has altered the livelihood of farmers and forced them to into an alternative livelihood – of charcoal production, which is creating problems for the environment and contributing to climate change.
While, the Fulani herders, have been looking forward to the implementation of recommendations of the various settlement meetings they have attended. Emmanuel is hopeful that his story would serve as a catalyst for measures to be implemented.
Mona Lisa’s item on: “Clean air: Wood dust; the silent killer of Ghanaian woodworkers,” was a showcase of the high vulnerability of woodworkers to severe health hazards, because of the weak enforcement of occupational safety laws. The situation has disproportionately affected these wood workers who are minority artisans.
The story highlighted the widespread persistence of neglect in the use of protective gears among the artisans, clustered at the Sokoban Wood Village in Kumasi. She observed that inadequate oversight by the Department of Factories Inspectorate, is perpetrating health issues among the wood workers. The crust of her story was that broader action was required to protect marginalised artisans and ensure compliance with regulations.
Stephen’s serialised story titled: “The Horrors of Witchcraft Accusations,” gave visibility to the issue of demonisation of aged people, particularly women. It exposed the plight of old women and men – the target of witchcraft accusations in Ghana’s Upper East Region.
In the course of his investigations, Stephen came to the conclusion that chiefs, fetish priests, soothsayers and prophets among other stakeholders, have very important roles to play as far as minimising the canker of witchcraft accusations was concerned. However, he realised that whilst, these prominent personalities were unhappy with the situation, somehow, they could not effect the required changes.
Consequently, this group of people would continue to bear the brunt of the practice, deemed a traditional norm in the area.
Anthony’s story: “Bawku chieftaincy conflict: Threat to achieving SDG four,” focused on how the protracted Bawku conflict was negatively impacting the education of children in the area. He was concerned about the stalled educational process of children in the Bawku environs as lots of schools had been closed down due the conflict.
Anthony realised the situation was infringing on SDG 4, which provides for “… inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Publicising the vulnerability of school going children in the area, was his motivation. He highlighted the fact that in the event that the conflict continues, not only will the Bawku area be doomed, but the entire nation would eventually suffer the consequences.
About the EMMAP
The “Engaging Media and Minorities to Act for Peacebuilding (EMMAP),” is conceptualised to raise public awareness concerning exclusion and discrimination against minority and indigenous communities, migrants, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Senegal.
In these countries, minority discrimination is often influenced by factors include ethnicity, culture and ecology. For example, as climate change has accelerated, pastoralists’ search for viable grazing lands has only intensified, leading to increasing potential for conflicts.
In view of the significant role media in public awareness raising, a key part of the EMMAP has been to strengthen the capacity of journalism actors from the three countries to sensitively investigate and report about issues concerning conflict and peace building, addressing minorities and migration issues.
To this end, several activities including two cohorts of online course, field trip to identified minority communities and a Regional Roundtable have taken place in Ghana and the other implementing countries to build media capacity on reporting on inclusive and anti-conflict related issues.
The award scheme was instituted as part of the activities to recognise the most outstanding journalistic reporting pieces on conflict, development, minority, indigenous, climate change and migration issues covered over a selected period.
The scheme is meant to specifically increase the number of relevant media contents to directly influence attitudes towards minority issues as well as contribute to conflict prevention and resolution through quality journalism.
The first edition of the award was held in October 2023, with Mohammed Fugu declared the overall winner.
By Mary Ama Kudom-Agyemang
