Full list: Winners of the GJA Ashanti Media Excellence Awards

The Ashanti regional chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association, on Saturday, October 24, recognized and celebrated the impactful work of journalists in the region. The Ashanti Media Excellence Awards were aimed at promoting excellence in journalism and qualitative media practice by recognising and competitively rewarding outstanding journalistic work produced in 2025.

The journalists were celebrated for their outstanding storytelling and investigative reporting across 10 competitive categories. Here is the full list of the winners and runners-up for the various categories. Best in Environment, Science and Climate Journalism • 1st Place: Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen (JOY NEWS) – Experts say Missing Engine Parts in Most Ghanaian Vehicles Polluting Air, Sickening People. • 2nd Place: Nana Boakye Dankwah Yiadom (LUV FM / JOYNEWS) – Greens to Pits – Galamsey Ravaging Cocoa Farms and Threatening Export. • 3rd Place: Bright Yeboah (CITI FM / CHANNEL ONE TV) – Climate Change: Farmers Use Smart Tree Planting to Restore Degraded Lands.

Best in Agriculture Journalism • 1st Place: Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe (LUV FM / JOYNEWS) – Broken Chain: Delayed Rains, Poor Sales Discouraging Ejura Maize Farmers from Planting Next Season. • 2nd Place: Doris Lonta (CITI FM / CHANNEL ONE TV) – Farmers Appeal for Government Intervention to Reduce Losses. • 3rd Place: Ibrahim Abubakar (TV3) – Visually Impaired Farmer Defies Odds to Win Best Farmer Honour.

Best in Education Journalism • 1st Place: Oscar Kwadwo Antwi Boasiako (AKOMA FM / ONUA TV) – Education on Hold: Balana Children Stranded as Teachers Boycott Classroom over Lack of Potable Water. • 2nd Place: Gilbert Mawuli Agbey (GRAPHIC ONLINE) – Hope at Last: Presidential Aide Rehabilitates Dilapidated Kokotro School. • 3rd Place: Towfik Mohammed (CITI FM / CHANNEL ONE TV) – Lack of Teachers’ Bungalows, Roads, Electricity Disrupts Learning at Sonsuaso M/A Primary.

Best in Business and Economy Journalism • 1st Place: Clinton Yeboah (LUV FM / JOYNEWS) – E-Levy Implications and What a Promise of Cancellation Means to MoMo users. • 2nd Place: Yussif Ibrahim (GHANA NEWS AGENCY) – Commerce, Culture and Crowds: The Economy around Daddy Lumba’s Funeral. • 3rd Place: Elizabeth Punsu (BUSINESS & FINANCIAL TIMES NEWSPAPER) – State Losing Revenue as Foreign Retailers Bypass GIPC Act 865.

Best in Entertainment Journalism • 1st Place: Yussif Ibrahim (GHANA NEWS AGENCY) – The Soundtrack of Grief: How Daddy Lumba’s Songs Carried his Funeral. • 2nd Place: Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe (LUV FM / JOYNEWS) – Braids of Loyalty: Asantehemaa’s Maidens Honoured her Legacy with Unique Hairstyle. • 3rd Place: Isaac Amoah (THE NEW TRUST NEWSPAPER) – MTN-Sponsored Ashanti Konnect Concert Electrifies Kumasi.

Best in Photojournalism • 1st Place: Elijah Donkor (OPEMSUO RADIO) – Asantehemaa DoteYie. • 2nd Place: Florence Afriyie Mensah (GNA) – A Rare Photo Captured at Final Funeral Rites of the late Asantehemaa. Best in Sports Journalism • Emmanuel Owusu (MEDIA GENERAL / 3SPORTSGH) – Hayford Addae Defies the Odds to Emerge Athletic Sensation at Ashanti Super Zonals.

Best Feature Production • 1st Place: Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe (LUV FM / JOYNEWS) – Illicit Flows Bleed Ghana dry: How Billions Lost are Crippling Science Education and Local Research. • 2nd Place: Ivan Korshie Heathcote – Fumador (ULTIMATE FM / GHONE TV) – How Effective Is The Digital Addressing System In Ghana? • 3rd Place: Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen (JOY NEWS) – Sekyere East’s Silent Battle: The Families Living with Hypertension, Stroke and Diabetes.

Best in Community Impact Journalism • 1st Place: Nana Boakye Dankwah Yiadom (LUV FM / JOYNEWS) – Deadly Doses – Unmasking Ghana’s Drug Epidemic. • 2nd Place: Ibrahim Abubakar (TV3) – Sofoline Underpass Plagued by Darkness. • 3rd Place: Enock Baffoe (AKOMA FM / ONUA TV) – Child Health: Implications of Using ‘Fake’ Diapers on the Market. Best in Health Journalism • 1st Place: Clinton Yeboah (LUV FM / JOYNEWS) – Don’t Suffer in Silence: Unpacking the Choice Fistula didn’t give Aspiring Mothers. • 2nd Place: Ivan Korshie Heathcote – Fumador (ULTIMATE FM / GHONE TV) – Care Homes; Mental Health Rehab Centers Decry Exclusion from Ghana Card Registration. • 3rd Place: Nana Boakye Dankwah Yiadom (LUV FM) – A Sick Hospital: Tafo Government Hospital Turns Patients Away Due to Lack of Bed.

Special Awards Breast Cancer Awareness: Prince Kwadwo Boadu (Hello Fm) – From Survivor to Advocate: A woman’s Journey against Breast Cancer. Inclusion Reporting: Ivan Korshie Heathcote – Fumador (ULTIMATE FM / GHONE TV) – Visually Impaired in Ghana Appeal for Accessible Apps for Digital Financial Transactions. Honorary Award: Veteran journalist, Mr.

Kofi Badu, Chief of Staff of the Manhyia Palace Overall • Ashanti Region Journalist of the Year 2025: Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe (LUV FM / JOYNEWS) – Exceptional reporting of the August 2025 Helicopter Crash at Adansi Akrofuom, in addition to winning the Best Feature Production and Best in Agriculture