Seth Kwame Boateng adjudged Best Journalist
A dream that began at the reception of LUV FM, a radio station in Kumasi, in 2001 was realised with the winning of the ultimate prize in Ghanaian journalism by Seth Kwame Boateng, a broadcast journalist with the Multimedia Group, when he received the coveted P.A.V. Ansah Journalist of the Year 2014 award at the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards held at the Banquet Hall of the State House last Saturday.
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Mr Boateng’s love and passion for features saw him win three other awards in radio and television features.
The citation accompanying his award described him as a journalist who is consistent and thorough with research for his stories.
The 31-year-old became the third Multimedia journalist in the 44-year history of the awards to win the prize, after Kwaku Owusu Peprah and Komla Dumor.
The Graphic Communications Group Limited’s (GCGL’s) Seth J. Bokpe was adjudged the Promising Young Journalist of the Year.
On a sparkling night when speeches, food, music and the best of Ghanaian fashion ebbed and flowed, Mr Boateng finally got the opportunity to deliver the speech he said he had been editing and rehearsing for the past eight years.
It’s a miracle
On his night of honour, Mr Boateng, who was draped in a navy blue African wear with stripes of gold on the shirt, was modest about his achievement.
“Several years ago when I entered the media landscape as a receptionist at Luv FM in Kumasi, I did not dream that a day like this would come.
“It is a miracle for a receptionist to win this award,” he said.
The last of 17 children, he recalled his early days cutting his academic teeth through the public school system at the Amankwatia M/A School, the Ejisu L/A School and the Kumasi Anglican Senior High School, all in the Ashanti Region.
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From there, he proceeded to the University of Cape Coast for his first degree, the University of Ghana School of Communications for his masters in Communication Studies and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre for another master’s degree in Peace, Conflict and Security.
With cheers and applause following him, Mr Boateng received his award and a presidential handshake from President John Dramani Mahama, who was the special guest of honour for the occasion.
At the annual awards ceremony, 25 other journalists picked awards in different categories.
Appreciation
Quoting from Scripture, Mr Boateng paid glowing tributes to his mother, Ms Beatrice Anning; his wife, Bevelyn Boateng, other family members and his church for the role they played in his success story.
The GCGL continued its dominance of the annual awards with an impressive run last Saturday when it won nine awards, including the Promising Journalist of the Year award.
On a night on which the awards became a two-horse race between the GCGL and the Multimedia Group, it was Mr Boateng who hampered the GCGL’s attempt to win a second consecutive Journalist of the Year award.
Perhaps the most interesting of the GCGL’s award winners is Gabriel Ahiabor — a photographer whose passion for features won him two awards in Science and Agriculture Reporting.
The company also produced the oldest award winner on the night — Samuel Kyei-Boateng— whose pen has been very active, although he retired from active service three years ago.
Last year, the GCGL swept 10 awards, including the Best Journalist of the Year which went to Mabel Aku Baneseh.
The company’s award winners this year are Doreen Hammond — Education (print); Gabriel Ahiabor — Agriculture and Science, Zadok K. Gyesi — Small and Medium Enterprises; Mabel Aku Baneseh — Anti-corruption; Samuel Kyei Boateng — News (print); Della Rusell Ocloo — Sanitation; Moses Dotse Aklorbortu — Oil and gas, and Nana Konadu Agyeman — Health.
Other award winners
Abdul Moomen of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) won and award in the Human Rights category, while Wendy Laryea of TV3 was adjudged the best in Education and Digital Journalism.
Rebecca Awuah of GBC 24 won in Arts and Tourism; Elvis Darko of The Finder — Courts and Crime; Daniel Nanor of The Chronicle — Environment, and Kwetey Nartey of the Joy FM — Investigative Reporting and Narcotics.
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Others were David Andoh of Myjoyonline — Photography; Kafui Kanyi of GNA — Rural reporting (with focus on elimination of child labour); Alberto Mario Noretti of the Ghanaian Times — Rural Reporting (print category); Ayele Ayeetey of TV Africa — Disability, and Nii A. Klu of GBC Obonu — Best in Ga Programme
The rest were Felix Klutse of Business Day — Indigenous Banks; Benedict Owusu of Joy FM — Sports; Samuel Adadi Akapule of the GNA — MDGs; Jamila Akweley Okertchiri of the Daily Guide — Liquid gold best food ever, and Rebecca Ekpe of the GBC — Local Governance.
Ugly side
The ugly side of the night was when scores of people got stranded at the entrance of the Banquet Hall because they were late.
In perhaps an attempt to prevent a recurrence of the Charles Antwi assassination attempt episode, the security detail at the entrance of the event grounds refused to budge, insisting that once President Mahama had entered the building, there was no way they would allow people who were late inside.
“It is not fair. I don’t see why there are security scanners around and we will not be allowed to enter the building. What threat can we pose to the President?” Yvonne Ofori, who was denied entry, asked the Daily Graphic after the event.
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Time to probe
Meanwhile, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Mr Kweku A. Awotwi, who was the guest speaker, said 58 years after independence, the state had clearly failed to provide basic goods and service such as water and reliable electricity for Ghanaians.
“After 58 years, is it not time for us and the media to probe for hard facts that we in Ghana are the least served in respect of electricity services, for which we cannot be happy about that?
“We must begin to question the truth the government and its officials tell us about the power supply situation,” he stated.
According to him, Ghana had spent close to half a billion dollars on three power supply projects that were supposed to produce 3,000 megawatts of power but defectively had produced nothing at all.
“This is at a time when, as a country, we need about 500 to 600 megawatts of power supply on a regular basis,” he stated, adding, “This is waste and we do not need to repeat the same mistakes with new power projects.”
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