Baaba Hudson retires after 36 years of service
After 36 years of dedicated service to the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), the Editor of the Junior Graphic, Kate Baaba Hudson, has bowed out of the GCGL family on attaining the compulsory retirement age of 60 years.
Flanked by family, friends, management of the GCGL, editorial board members and colleagues in the Editorial Department, Ms Hudson, full of smiles and with a joyful heart, shared her wonderful working experience with the company since 1986 when she joined as a reporter of the Daily Graphic to when she became the acting Editor of The Mirror and the Editor of the Junior Graphic, the position she held until she retired.
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The occasion was the send-off party the Editorial Department organised in her honour. She recalled with nostalgia the competition and enthusiasm among young reporters those days to bring exclusive stories that would ‘hit’ the front pages of the paper.
She urged staff of the company to work hard to promote the growth of the company so that should there be any gains, they would also benefit from it.
“Let us share ideas and be each other’s keeper. I am happy and proud to have worked with the GCGL,” she emphasised.
A former Deputy High Commissioner to Canada and an actress, Abi Adatsi, who is a long-time friend of Ms Hudson, described her as a kind-hearted person who was always ready to help.
The Managing Director of the GCGL, Ato Afful; the Director, Sales and Marketing of GCGL, Franklin Sowa, and the Editor of the Daily Graphic, Kobby Asmah, took turns to share their experiences while working with her, and thanked her for the services she rendered to the company and wished her well on her retirement.
The editorial board presented her with a refrigerator while the editorial welfare gave her an undisclosed amount of money. The Junior Graphic staff, as well as the Marketing Department, also gave her presents.
Working life
Ms Hudson joined the GCGL group on February 3, 1986 as a reporter and spent a greater part of her 36 years with the Daily Graphic, the flagship newspaper, where she worked in various positions, including as a Staff Reporter, Senior Staff Reporter, Staff Writer, Senior Staff Writer and a Principal Staff Writer.
She was for many years the Daily Graphic correspondent in Tema.
She was also the Education Page Editor; Business Page Editor; Foreign, Regional and Supplements Editor.
Owing to her hard work and experience, on a number of occasions, she was the acting Editor of the Graphic Business newspaper, and the acting Editor for the Gender, Metro and the Feature pages.
Along the line, Ms Hudson was asked to assume the position of acting Editor for The Mirror, and in January 2021, she was appointed as the Editor of the Junior Graphic, a position she held until her retirement.
Appointment
Ms Hudson is a former Board Member of the Management, Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI).
She is a very active member of the Lions Club International, where she has occupied various positions, including Chairperson, Region 34 of District 403 – A2; District Protocol Officer, District 403 – A2 and President, Tema Lions Club.
Professional positions
At the professional level, she was a Chairperson of the Tema Sub-regional Chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and has attended various workshops and seminars organised by the GJA.
Academic qualifications
Ms Hudson has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing Option from the University of Ghana Business School, Legon; Master of Arts (MA) degree in Communication Studies; Bachelor of Science Administration, Marketing Option, School of Administration and a Diploma in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
Present at the send-off party were the Parish Priest of the St Andrew Anglican Church, Alogboshie, Rev. Fr Ernest Nana Nyantakyi Wuaboh, and Rev. Fr. Thomas Wilson Jacobs of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, High Street.