Second Volta GJA Awards Launched

By Alberto Mario Noretti

Ho — THE second Volta GJA awards celebration was launched in Ho on Wednesday with a clarion call on journalists to form a joint and formidable front to fiercely resist attempts by public servants to intimidate them.

This year's celebration is under theme: Media - Key Partner in Local Governance.

The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa who performed the launching ceremony said that no national development agenda could be executed without the support of the media.

"So, as long as what we are pursuing as journalists is in line with the broader public interests, go boldly for it", he added.

Dr Letsa re-affirmed the Volta Regional Coordinating Council's stance to work in partnership with the Volta GJA to implement development projects in the region and local governance matters.

"We will support the Volta GJA's members on their assignment to perform their duties creditably", he assured.

In a goodwill message, Mr Edmund Attah Kujoh, North Dayi DCE and Dean of Volta MDCEs entreated the media to constantly engage the citizenry in the business of governance, saying that will enable the public to appreciate the government's development efforts.

Mr Anthony Bells Kafui Kanyi, Chairman of the Volta GJA, expressed misgivings over the recent cases of attacks on journalists in the region, saying the trend was an affront to democracy.

That notwithstanding, "we remain committed to our mandate to make a difference in the region because what counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived but the difference we make in others".

He called on government, the police and other stakeholders to help to arrest the soaring cases of attack on journalists in the broader national interest.

Mr Kanyi said that the awards, dedicated to excellence in journalism, presented a unique opportunity for journalists in the region to be celebrated and an avenue for them to interact with policy makers and implementers.

The main sponsors of the event are ECG, AGI, Stanbic Bank, Afe Lotto, Municipal and District Assemblies in the region, Pencils of Promise, Sky Plus Hotel and Resort, and Africa Hill Resort among others.

The awards categories include: Health, Education, Sanitation, Tourism, Sports, Agriculture, Economics, Local Governance and Morning Shows in Ewe, Twi and English.

The launched was chaired by Mama Atrato II, Queen of Ho-Dome.

She said that any individual who attacked journalists was undesirable to society and an enemy of progress.

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