Graphic’s Wunpini, Fugu win top awards
Two journalists with the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL), Haruna Yussif Wunpini and Mohammed Fugu, have been awarded by two organisations for their sterling performances.
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While Mr Wumpini received the Ghana Tourism Authority’s Eastern Region Tourism Media Personality award for 2024, his colleague in Tamale received the GJA’s Best Reporter on Climate Change and Environment for the Northern Region for 2023.
The Daily Graphic’s Eastern Regional Correspondent was also adjudged Best Reporter in the print category at the maiden Eastern Regional Tourism Media Awards in Koforidua, last Friday.
Awards
Mr Wunpini was presented with a shield, a certificate of excellence and a citation.
In addition, he will spend two days at the Hillburi Hotel at Aburi.
Parts of his citation read: “As the Eastern Regional Reporter, your quest and passion to write in-depth feature stories and news articles on the tourism potentials of the region is highly remarkable.”
His stories on the canoe-shaped tree at the Bunso Eco Park, published in the Daily Graphic, The Mirror and Graphic Online, were also acknowledged for contributing to showcasing the region's tourism attractions and potential.
Mr Fugu, for his prize, received a laptop, a shield and a citation.
As part of the package, USAID Policy Link Activity will support him with logistics and resources to produce compelling climate change and environment stories for one year.
He will further be sponsored to undertake a year’s online course and attend a climate change conference.
His story: “Tackling galamsey impact: land reclamation needed in five northern regions" won the award.
The citation said the story added a strong voice to the public discourse “regarding the dangers of illegal mining in the regions in the north”.
“With glaring and disturbing pictorial evidence, your story highlights how (the) lack of collective action will further destroy the land in dire need of reclamation,” the citation further read.
Other winners
The Eastern Regional Tourism awards scheme, the first of its kind, was instituted by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) to honour outstanding individuals and hospitality facilities committed to excellence and dedicated to tourism.
Other winners on the night included Citi News/Channel One TV, recognised as the Tourism Oriented Media for the year 2024, while 14 other tourism related facilities in the region were also honoured and given shields and citations.
Representatives of the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, and the Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III, also graced the occasion.
Tourism potentials
Speaking at the event, which was on the theme: "Celebrating Innovation and Recognising Excellence In Ghana's Tourism Sector", the Head of Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Cape Coast, Professor Ishmael Mensah, said the region had many tourists facilities such as Odweanoma Mountain, Akuapem Ridge, Aburi Botanical Gardens, the Volta Lake and the Akonnedi Shrine at Larteh and local cuisine such as "aboloo" and "koliko", which portrayed the region as a land of diversity.
Prof. Mensah, who is also the Director of the Confucius Institute, emphasised that in view of such tourist attractions, his outfit had recognised the awards as important to the development of the tourism industry.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GTA, Akwasi Agyeman, said the ceremony was the first to be organised by any of the 16 regions, and that the rest would follow to showcase tourism potentials in such areas, adding that all the events would take place this September, which had been designated tourism month.