Ghana: IFEJ Launches 5th Edition of Flamingo Awards for Journalists

From (l-r), Mr Bulley, Mr Kerali, Emmanuel Kuyole-Executive Director of CEDA and Prof Gatsi at the awards launch

Accra, Ghana, July 17, 2018//-The Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists (IFEJ), today launched its fifth edition of the IFEJ Flamingo Awards for business and financial journalists in Ghana.

The 2018 edition is on the theme: ‘Towards better management of natural resources for inclusive growth and development’.

“This year, the ultimate winner must pick up the best in natural resources reporting and any other category,” the President of IFEJ, Rayborn Bulley  explained at the launch in Accra.
Journalists, particularly financial and economic reporters who write comprehensive and accurate business news, are encouraged to enter the IFEJ Flamingo Awards.
Stories written from 31st July 2017 to 30th June 2018 are all qualified for the awards but the final selection is depended on the awards committee jury. Submission of articles for the awards began from July 18 to August 17, this year.

 Mr Bulley added that the submission of stories could be done at the IFEJ office on the Gaphic road. Interested journalists can also download the form(s) on the IFEJ  and News Ghana websites.

The IFEJ is a non-profit organisation that seeks to provide qualitative analysis of the economic sector while offering necessary ammunition for policy redirection through write-ups by members.

Announcing the categories of the awards,   the Head of Jury, Prof. John Gatsi said the awards would focus on key areas such as originality, accuracy, quality and excellent communication.

He added: “We also will focus on quality and that will be the overall presentation of the story, the planning, angle and arrangement of the story”.

The IFEJ awards which is slated for December 2018 would award journalists in the following categories; 

1. Overall Best Business and Financial Journalist Award

2. Best Business/Manufacturing Feature/News story

3. Best Finance Feature/News story

4. Best Business of Health feature/News

5. Best in local Economy feature/News

6. Best Development feature/News story

7. Best Agribusiness feature/News story

8. Best Natural Resource feature/News story

9. Best Informational and communication Technology feature/News story

10. Best Tourism Feature/News story

The Country Director of the World Bank, Henry Kerali who performed the launch noted that an independent media which is empowered and energized to inform and educate the public to make informed choices to help propel the growth of Ghana is needed for a successful ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’.

The ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda is in line with the World Bank’s mission to end extreme poverty, he stated.

“The World Bank’s mission is to end extreme poverty and to promote shared prosperity in a sustainable way, this recognizes the role of the media to support the efforts to improve management of natural resources for inclusive growth and development”.

Touching on the theme, Mr Kerali said it was very appropriate for the development of Ghana, stressing that “natural resources are critical for Ghana’s economic growth, jobs and poverty alleviation”.

‘Many industrialized and developed countries including Australia, Canada, Sweden, Norway, United States, South Africa and Botswana have depended on the exploration and extraction of minerals as the basis for their economic development,” he added.

“Ghana is depleting its natural resource wealth whilst missing opportunities for economic transformation. Since 2000, per capita economic losses due to natural resource degradation doubled from US$100 to US$200 per person per year today. In 2006, analysts put the cost of these environmental degradation at more than 10 percent of GDP”, according to him.

African Eye Report

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