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Two journalists of Ghanaian Times were on Saturday awarded for their impactful news ar­ticles at this year’s Ghana Journalists Awards (GJA) night, held in Accra.

Benedicta Gyimah Folley took home Best Reporter on Gender while Geoffrey Buta was adjudged Best Photojournalist of 2021.

Ms Folley’s news article titled “Cost of Pesticides on infertility” was focused on highlighting the infertility amongst some Ghanaian women and the extent to which they go to bear a child.

Mr Buta’s story also brought to the fore the level of destruction caused by hours of rainfall in the Northern Region.

The New Times Corporation, Ghana News Agency, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Graphic Communication Group Limited, Despite Media Group among others were presented with special awards for their contribu­tions towards media growth in the country.

In all, about 30 journalists, media personalities and organisations were honoured at the event, which was the 26th edition of the GJA Awards in Accra.

It was organised under the theme, “Walking the Path towards Ghana’s Economic Recovery: The Role of the Media.”

Addressing the gathering, Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, Chairman of the National Media Commis­sion (NMC) expressed concern about the delays in the resolution of the murder cases involving journalists in the country.

Currently, he said the murder of Ahmed

Suale and Samuel Ennin were still pending and described the situation as worrying.

“It is worrying that the case of Suale has not been solved as of now.

I also recall the murder of Samuel Ennin in 2007, who was the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the GJA, which has also not been resolved as of now,” Mr Boa­du-Ayeboafoh noted.

The Foundation Secretary General of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey charged the “men and women of the media” to make their space available for debates on policy.

By so doing, he further stated, policy would not be sh

aped by a few persons but rather shaped out of a thorough discussion and process for development.

This year’s event brought togeth­er number of dignitaries including the United States of America (USA) Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia E. Palmer and Justice of the Supreme Court (JSC), Yonny Kulendi as well as heads of media organisations in the country.

 BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS

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The Managing Director of the New Times Corporation (NTC), Mr. Martin Adu-Owusu has advised the public to be tenacious and relentless in the fight against breast cancer disease.

“It is our collective and decisive resolve to fight breast cancer in all its tendencies that would have positive impact on both present and future generation,” he said.

He said this when The Spectator, The corporation’s weekly newspaper, organised the maiden Breast Cancer Campaign at the Kaneshie Market Complexyesterday in Accra, to create awareness and also screen market women for  the disease.

The two-day Campaign is on the theme “Life before and after Breast Cancer: A future of Positivity and Hope” and it is the NTC’s contribution to raise awareness of the disease.

Mr Adu-Owusu made reference to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 2020 report which said, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685,000 deaths globally, “At the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 5 years making it the world’s most prevalent cancer.”

He described the situation as worrying, adding that NTC’s campaign was one of the strategies to help reduce the incidence of breast cancer in the country.

He, therefore,called on individuals, and organisations to be ambassadors of breast cancer to fight the menace.

“Breast cancer is preventable and curable when we do regular self-examination and screening. This is not a difficult task and we can save many lives and bring solace, hope and prosperity to many families if we continue with our aggressive campaign on regular self-examination and breast screening,” he said.

The Editor of The Spectator, Mr Emmanuel Amponsah said the campaign would educate the public on early symptoms and signs of Breast Cancer; preventive measures, diagnostic and treatment centres, the measures put in place for early detection and to assist in the management of patients of Breast Cancer, among others.

He referred to the Globocan statistics carried by the Global Cancer Observatory website in March 2021, which said 4,482 women in Ghana were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, “In the same year, it said 2,055 deaths were recorded. In fact, it is estimated that 4,650 women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually in Ghana while more than 2,000 women die of the disease yearly.”

Mr Amponsah said the campaign would be taken to the door-steps of the Labone Senior High School to educate the students on Breast Cancer in order to prepare them in the fight against the diseases.

The Member of Parliament for Okaikoi South, Ms Dakoa Newman, urged the market women to desist from storing their mobile phones and other items in their brassieres, adding that this act could expose the breast to radiations emitting from the mobile device

She encouraged women to seek early health check-ups and avoid self-treatment at homes, especially using unprescribed medicines

In a speech read on behalf WHO Representative Dr Francis Kasolo said  2.3 million women in 2020,  were diagnosed with breast cancer and 685,000 deaths globally.

“As of the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer,” he said.

According to him, there were more lost disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by women to breast cancer globally than any other type of cancer.

Dr Kasolo said approximately  half of breast cancer  develop in women who have no identifiable  breast cancer risk factors  other than gender and age over 40 years

He said certain factors that increase risk of breast cancer are obesity, harmful use of alcohol, family history of breast cancer, History of radiation exposure, reproductive history (such as age that menstrual periods began and age at first pregnancy),  tobacco use and postmenopausal hormone therapy.

Dr Kasolo said strategies for improving breast cancer outcomes depended on fundamental health system strengthening to deliver the treatments that are already known to work.

He expressed the hope that every woman in Ghana diagnosed with breast cancer would have access to specialised care without causing financial catastrophe in line with Universal Health Coverage.

BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG

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A nine-member board of the New Times Corporation (NTC), publisher of Ghanaian Times and Spectator newspapers, was on March 10, 2022, sworn into office with a call on the local union and management to work together for the progress of the corporation.

Similarly, the National Media Commission (NMC) swore in an eight-member governing board of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra last Wednesday, with a call on the newly constituted board to fast-track the re-enactment of the law establishing the agency.

The NTC board is chaired by a former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Dr Kwaku Rockson, and has Professor Kofi Quashigah, Victoria Natsu, Donald Gwira and Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa as members.

The rest are Kofi Marrah, Samuel Akwasi S. Sarfo, Doris Adabasu Kuwornu and the Managing Director of the NTC, Adu Owusu.

The GNA board, chaired by a former Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ransford Tetteh, has Peter Claver Nibepwo Sangber-Dery, Ivy Hoetu, Daniel Addai and Dr N. A. Ibrahim Lartey, as members.

The rest are Dr Charles Kwening, Juliet Amoah and the General Manager of the agency, Albert Kofi Owusu.

Credibility

Before swearing in the NTC board, the Chairman of the NMC, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, urged the corporation not to allow itself to be used as a receptacle for carrying falsehood.

He said publishing credible stories built trust among the public.

The NMC Chair urged the labour union of NTC to give the board all the needed support and continue working in industrial harmony.

Pension contributions

Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh also charged the new board and management of NTC to show interest in the pension remittances of workers to ensure a better life for them during retirement.

“You must ensure that all contributions towards social security and other pension schemes are paid regularly and consistently,” he said.

To the GNA board, Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh said the NMC remained committed to protecting state-owned media organisations from undue political influence.

He urged collaboration between management and the new board towards the achievement of organisational goals.

“We need to work collectively because it is from our collective efforts that we will be able to make gains,” and cautioned the staff against disharmony,” the NMC Chairman said.

Commitment

The Executive Secretary of the NMC, George Sarpong, commended the staff of NTC for their resilience and urged them to be committed and continue to work hard.

He urged the state media to publish stories that would ensure peace in the political arena.

“In a misinformation society like this, we will rely on professionals like you. The media can lead the process,” he said.

He credited the NTC for surviving the turbulent times brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the GNA board inauguration, Mr Sarpong commended GNA for successes chalked up in spite of the numerous operational challenges over the years and urged members of the new board to build on the work of the outgone board.

Projects

On behalf of the management and staff of the corporation, the managing director thanked the NMC for the appointment of the board members and commended the previous board members for their contribution to the growth of the corporation.

Mr Adu Owusu said the management looked forward to working with the new board to address some of the challenges that confronted the NTC.

Dr Rockson, on behalf of the members of the board, described the task as an onerous one,and assured that “we will not take it lightly.”

Revise GNA Act

The General Manager of GNA said the re-enactment would reposition the agency as a viable media organisation with a more business focus to generate significant revenue for its operations and the state.

Mr Owusu said GNA had initiated plans for the launch of a business and economic news reporting project to give a sharp focus to sectors of the economy towards projecting Ghana as the most attractive investment destination on the continent.

He said it had also rolled out digital operations on a pilot basis to take advantage of the digital revolution to expand news services covering a host of users.

The General Manager said in spite of funding challenges, the agency was pleased with the output and responses from subscribers.

Mr Owusu said GNA was also developing scheme of service with the assistance of the Public Services Commission to align the human resource needs with the operations of the agency with a corresponding remuneration, saying, a major concern of the agency was poor remuneration of its staff.

IGF

For his part, the GNA board chairman said the board would work towards ensuring that the agency retained its internally generated funds (IGF) to enhance its operations.

Mr Tetteh gave an assurance of the board’s commitment to continue with projects the outgone board initiated with some innovations towards sustaining the agency’s position as the reference point for media excellence.

By: Emelia Ennin Abbey