Ghana has named radio host Philip Osei Bonsu, known as O.B., its Ghana Journalist of the Year for 2026. The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the country’s national press union, announced the prize on Saturday 7 November 2026 at its 30th Media Awards in Accra.
For US readers, the night is a health check on the press in a West African democracy at a time when its own union warns of attacks on reporters. It also brought a pledge of public money for the news industry from the head of state.
What Happened
O.B. hosts Ekosiisen, a late-afternoon current-affairs show on Asempa FM, a Ghanaian radio station. He received the GJA/P.A.V.
Ansah Journalist of the Year award, named after the late Ghanaian journalist P.A.V. Ansah and the highest individual honour of the evening.
The ceremony took place at the Palms Convention Centre of the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra. Its theme was “Celebrating Excellence, Advancing Media Freedom and Combating Hate Speech in the Digital Age”.
President Mahama, Ghana’s head of state since January 2025, spoke at the event. Judges had weighed 327 entries from 206 applicants before the winners were named.
Who Else Won
Nabil Ahmed Rufai, a freelance reporter, won Best in Television News for “Stolen Childhood”, a report on child labour in Ghana’s fishing industry. Mohammed Fugu won Best in Print News.
Clinton Yeboah won Best Radio Feature. Nathaniel Attoh of Joy FM won the sports reporting award, one of the beat prizes handed out on the night.
Office towers and car dealerships along a busy street in Accra. File photo.A Warning About Attacks on Reporters
The GJA president, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, used the evening to raise the safety of journalists. He said three of the five attacks on reporters recorded in January 2026 allegedly involved security officers.
Dwumfour said journalists are not enemies of the state but partners in national development. He added that an attack on a journalist is an attack on press freedom.
The association made the same January count public at the time. It said the three attacks were allegedly carried out by state security agencies.
A Fund for Journalists
Mahama told the audience that the 2027 national budget includes GH¢10 million (about US$860,000 at the market rate of 8 November 2026, US$0.086 per cedi) as seed money for a Media Development Fund. He said the fund will support journalist welfare, professional training, investigative reporting, digital literacy and safety training.
The president said he had announced the fund’s revival at the 29th awards a year earlier. He also said he would personally ask companies and the central bank to contribute, and promised that editorial independence would be respected.
Why It Matters
Press freedom shapes how reliably the world hears about Ghana’s economy, from the central bank’s gold accounts to the end of its IMF loan. Reporters are the people who check those stories.
The warning about attacks comes from the union that speaks for them. The pledge of money comes from the president whose government is often the subject of their work.
What It Means for You
If you follow Ghana as an investor, a traveller or a family member abroad, the awards show where independent reporting stands. Stories on mining, child labour and public accounts are the kind of work that holds institutions to account.
A press that can report safely is easier to trust when you read about the cedi, Ghana’s currency, the budget or local risks. The 2027 budget will show whether the media fund receives the money Mahama promised.
What Is Not Known
It is not known how the fund will be run, who will oversee it, or when the first payments will reach journalists. The GJA has not said whether it considers GH¢10 million (about US$860,000) enough.
It is not known whether any officer has faced action over the January attacks. It is also unclear whether the award for O.B. changes how the GJA presses its case with security agencies.
More: Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Ghana’s Journalist of the Year for 2026?
Philip Osei Bonsu, known as O.B., of Asempa FM won the GJA/P.A.V. Ansah Journalist of the Year award. He hosts the current-affairs show Ekosiisen.
When Were the 30th GJA Media Awards Held?
They were held on Saturday 7 November 2026 in Accra. The venue was the Palms Convention Centre of the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel.
What Did President Mahama Announce?
He said the 2027 budget includes GH¢10 million (about US$860,000) as seed money. It is for a Media Development Fund for journalists.
What Is the GJA?
The Ghana Journalists Association is Ghana’s national press union. It runs the yearly media awards and speaks for reporters on safety and press freedom.
Sources: Office of the President of Ghana, remarks at the 30th GJA Media Awards, 7 November 2026; Ghana Journalists Association, 30th GJA Media Awards announcements, 7 November 2026, and its statement on attacks on journalists, 28 January 2026; market exchange rate for the Ghana cedi (GHS/USD), 8 November 2026.
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