GJA names library after Ajoa Yeboah-Afari - Meets editors, veterans
The library at the International Press Centre of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) is to be named after one of its former Presidents, Ajoa Yeboah-Afari.
This follows a decision taken by the executive of the GJA to celebrate the seasoned journalist who has distinguished herself in the profession for over six decades.
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The President of the GJA, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, announced this at a forum to engage retired journalists and editors.
Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President of the GJA, speaking at the meeting
He said the decision was part of the broader plan of the association to celebrate and honour editors and retired media practitioners for their immense contribution to the industry.
“The GJA would like to honour and celebrate our veterans whose efforts have lighted the path for us to follow.
“We need to tap the knowledge and experience of our veterans to be able to chart a new path and also reposition the GJA as a highly professional body to attract various practitioners,” the GJA President said.
The forum
The forum, held in Accra last Tuesday, was aimed at strengthening the relationship between the association and retirees, as well as current decision-makers in the newsroom, and helping the leadership of the association to chart a new path and also reposition the GJA as a highly professional body to attract various practitioners.
Some participants in the meeting.
Among the participants were the first female President of the GJA, Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie; former Editor of the Graphic Business, Lloyd Evans; a former Night Editor of the Daily Graphic, Vance Azu, and a former Production Manager of TV3, Gabriel Bosompem.
Also present were veteran broadcasters Godwin Avenorgbo and Rayborn Bulley; the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwasi Pratt Jnr; the Editor of The Mirror and former GJA Journalist of the Year, Doreen Hammond; the immediate past Public Affairs Officer of the GJA, Mary Tawiah Mensah, and the Editor of the Daily Guide, Fortune Alimi.
Honour
Mr Dwumfuor said Ms Yeboah-Afari’s role as a distinguished and accomplished journalist could not be over-emphasised and even now, she continued to impact the profession.
“We appreciate all the efforts she has put into making the Ghanaian media what it is and the best way to honour her and show appreciation for all that is naming the library after her. We all know the importance of a library in a journalist’s work,” Mr Dwumfuor said.
He said a special ceremony would be held to formalise this after the library had been refurbished and restocked by the end of the year.
Ms Yeboah-Afari
Famed for her column Thoughts of a Native Daughter, Ms Yeboah-Afari has been a practitioner for decades.
She has worked in both Ghana and in the United Kingdom (UK). She was a BBC correspondent based in Ghana and also worked with the Commonwealth Secretariat in the UK.
She has maintained her column in The Mirror, a paper she was a Deputy Editor. She also served as an Editor of the Ghanaian Times newspaper.
She also served as GJA President and a board member of the Graphic Communications Group Limited.