Humu-Khrusum Tahiru, a journalist at A1 Radio based in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region of Ghana and a beneficiary of the ‘Equal Voices’ Project, has been adjudged the Best Female Journalist of The Year, 2023 at the third Upper East Region Ghana Journalists Association Awards held in Bolgatanga on September 6, 2024.
The citation presented to her at the awards read as follows: “Your impactful documentary on the challenges facing female aspirants in the District Assembly Elections highlighted the real issue on the ground. Your documentary gave voice to female aspirants in the 2023 District Level Elections in the Upper East Region, highlighting the obstacles they encountered during elections. Your documentary was shown at the time the various political parties were developing their 2024 manifestoes. This made many of these political parties to incorporate issues of female participation in election into their manifestoes. In recognition of this tremendous effort, the Upper East Regional Branch of the Ghana Journalists Association adjudges you as the Best Journalist in Gender Reporting at the 3rd Upper East GJA Awards.”
Aside from emerging as the best female journalist for the region, she also won the best gender journalist award.
Expressing joy over her win, Humu, said, “I am very happy to say that the Equal Voices Project redefined my thoughts and appreciation of gender issues, and that led me to produce a documentary on the challenges that women face in the District Assembly Elections which led to me being adjudged as the gender reporter of the year and also the female journalist of the year.”
She said she was grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Equal Voices project which has made her more informed about gender-related issues and repurposed her journalism.
“I am looking forward to producing more gender-related documentaries here in the Upper East Region that will change the perception and the stereotypes that are associated with women in the Upper East Region,” Humu added.
After receiving her initial capacity training under the project, Humu-Khrusum Tahiru took action to produce a compelling documentary that highlighted the challenges faced by female aspirants in the District Assembly Elections in the Upper East Region.
For her prizes, Humu received a plaque each for the two categories, a brand-new laptop, a citation each and a cash prize.
A1 Radio is one of the four media houses in Ghana benefiting from The Equal Voices Project since its rollout in 2023. The project is implemented by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), in partnership with the French media development agency, Canal France International (CFI), and is aimed at combatting inequalities and stereotypes based on gender while promoting women at all levels of responsibility in Ivorian and Ghanaian societies through gender-aware and gender-sensitive media practices.
Inspired by the knowledge and skills imparted during the maiden gender-sensitive reporting training held in Accra from November 20 – 25, 2023, A1 Radio created a new show called ‘Equal Voices’, which is hosted by Humu-Khrusum Tahiru. Aligned with the goal of the project, the show highlights issues of gender inequalities and the socio-cultural barriers women especially face, and discusses ways to promote women and amplify their contributions, and expertise and champion their development at all levels of society.
Aside from the initiation of the Equal Voices Show, the Management of A1 Radio has also set up a Gender Desk in the newsroom where gender-related stories are produced and fed into the daily news bulletins of the station. Again, the Gender Desk ensures significant inclusion of female voices in the radio station’s flag-shift programmes including Day Break Upper East Show (Morning Show), Critical Issues and Zina Yela shows.
So far, the Equal Voices Project has trained 32 female journalists, including freelancers in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire on women empowerment. They also received training to strengthen their leadership skills to empower and inspire them to pursue professional aspirations and career goals.
