A Former Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Ltd, Kofi Badu and Ashanti Regional Correspondent, Gilbert Mawuli Agbey, were last Saturday honoured at the Ashanti Media Excellence Awards 2026.
The awards were organised by the Ashanti Regional Chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to honour excellence in journalism and recognise support for the profession.
Mr Badu, currently the Chief of Staff at the Manhyia Palace, received the Lifetime Contribution to Journalism and Media Leadership Award for his distinguished contributions to journalism, media management and public service in Ghana.
Similarly, Mr Agbey won the second-place position in the education category with the story titled “Hope at last: Presidential Staffer rehabilitates dilapidated Kokotro School”.
The award-winning story highlighted the singing capabilities of the school pupils of the Kokotro Methodist Primary School in the Bekwai Municipality in a video shared on social media, which revealed part of the dilapidated school building, leading to the transformation of the entire school.
The state of the school caught the attention of a presidential aide at the Office of the President, Ms Amanda Okyere, after a video of the choir was shared on social media by the teacher behind the choir, Sampson Abankwah.
Moved by the singing and performance of the school choir, as well as the poor state of the school, Ms Okyere funded the renovation of the entire school, which was established in 1935.
The event was held on the theme: “Celebrating excellence, championing credibility: Journalism in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)”.
Mr Badu’s citation
In a citation accompanying the award, the association said Mr Badu’s professional journey embodied the values of dedication, discipline, innovation and service that define excellence in journalism.
Kofi Amoako Gyampah (left), an Assistant Manager, Right to Information Commission, Ashanti Region, presenting the award to Gilbert Mawuli Agbey (right), a reporter with the Daily Graphic Pictures: EMMANUEL BAAH
As Managing Director, GCGL, one of Ghana’s leading media institutions, the GJA said Mr Badu provided leadership at a pivotal period in the evolution of print journalism and added that his tenure was associated with efforts to modernise newsroom operations, including the computerisation and the adoption of more efficient editorial processes.
“These developments contributed to the transformation of traditional newspaper production and helped prepare the organisation for the changing demands of modern journalism”, it stated.
Beyond the newsroom and corporate boardroom, it said Mr Badu has continued to distinguish himself through his service at the Manhyia Palace, serving the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Other winners
Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe of Luv FM/Joy News won the Ashanti Region Journalist of the Year 2025 in addition to winning best feature production and best in agriculture reporting.
Other award winners were Yussif Ibrahim and Florence Afriyie Mensah of Ghana News Agency, Oscar Kwadwo Antwi Boasiako, Akoma FM/Onua TV, Ibrahim Abubakar, TV3, Doris Lonta, Towfik Mohammed and Bright Yeboah, all of Citi FM/ Channel One TV.
The rest were Nana Boakye Dankwah Yiadom and Clinton Yeboah, also of Luv FM, Joy News, Elizabeth Punsu, Business and Financial Times and Ivan Korshie Heatcote-Fumador, Ultimate FM/GHOne TV, among others.
Never expected
In a response to the award, Mr Badu, who expressed gratitude for the honour, said after retiring as a practicing journalist for over two decades, he never expected that another generation of young journalists would find it necessary to acknowledge the modest contributions he made towards the journalism profession.
He said, “Journalism is one of the professions on which society has been built and has shaped mankind. You go into it because you want to make an impact by contributing something from which society can advance.”
Domesticate AI
A former Editor of the Daily Graphic, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, said journalists cannot throw away AI because it is a technology that has come to stay and urged them to strive to live beyond it.
He said, “We are going to use AI, but we have to domesticate it so that AI will serve us better than allowing ourselves to be controlled by AI. We should live above technology and work complementary with it in our profession”.
The President of the GJA, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, reminded practitioners that journalism was not merely a profession but a calling to service that demanded courage, integrity, sacrifice and an unwavering commitment to the truth.
He said AI was transforming how information was gathered, processed, produced and distributed but cautioned against confusing technological advancement with journalistic integrity.
Changing journalism
In a welcome address, the Ashanti Regional GJA Chairman, Kofi Adu Domfeh, said AI was changing journalism as it offers exciting opportunities for research, production and storytelling, warning that it also makes it easier to create fake images, fabricate audio, manipulate videos and spread misinformation at an alarming speed.
