The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has commended the Embassy of Türkiye in Accra for sponsoring a one-week familiarisation visit to Istanbul for winners of the Association’s 29th Media Awards, describing the initiative as a valuable opportunity for professional development and international exposure.
The beneficiaries of the programme are the 2024 Female Journalist of the Year, Doreen Ampofo of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), and the Student Journalist of the Year, Clinton Yeboah of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who also works with the Multimedia Group in Kumasi.
During their stay in Türkiye, the two award-winning journalists are expected to engage in a series of professional, diplomatic and cultural activities aimed at deepening their understanding of the country’s media landscape, governance institutions, economic activities and rich cultural heritage, while strengthening media and people-to-people relations between Ghana and Türkiye.
The programme includes visits to leading media organisations, the national media regulatory authority, major tourism sites, trading centres and other strategic institutions to provide the journalists with firsthand insights into Türkiye’s media ecosystem and socio-economic development.
The GJA expressed appreciation to the Ambassador of Türkiye to Ghana, Hüseyin Güngör, for his commitment towards ensuring the successful implementation of the travel arrangement and for supporting initiatives that deepen the longstanding Afro-Asian relations between the two countries.
“The GJA appreciates Mr Asediba’s understanding and remains grateful to the Turkish Embassy in Ghana and Turkish Airlines for their commitment to the sponsorship arrangement, which has enabled the successful implementation of the all-expense-paid travel prize package awarded to the outstanding journalists during the 29th GJA Media Awards,” the Association stated.
The familiarisation visit reflects the growing cooperation between Turkish and Ghanaian institutions in strengthening media capacity, promoting professional learning, facilitating cultural exchange and building stronger institutional relationships between media communities in both countries.
The Association noted that such engagements provide journalists with international perspectives and experiences that can enhance their contribution to public discourse and better serve the interests of Ghanaian society.
The GJA further encouraged other foreign missions in Ghana to emulate the initiative by supporting programmes that contribute to the professional development, exposure and capacity building of Ghanaian journalists.
The Association, however, clarified that the reigning Journalist of the Year, Godwin Asediba, will not participate in the familiarisation programme because his current location outside Ghana does not align with the sponsorship arrangement, which requires beneficiaries to travel on the Accra–Istanbul–Accra route.
According to the GJA, the travel agreement involving the Association, the Embassy of Türkiye in Ghana and Turkish Airlines did not provide for departures from or returns to any other country or destination. Consequently, Mr Asediba was unable to return to Ghana to complete the required visa procedures and commence the journey from Accra in line with the agreed travel arrangements.
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