By Joyce Gyekye
Three journalists, Anass Sabit of Multi Media Group at Bono East, Gertrude Ankah of Graphic Communications Group and Ernest Senanu Dovlo, a freelance journalist have been honoured at this year’s Open Forum on Agricultural Biosafety, OFAB Awards, in Accra.
Each awardee received a plaque, a tablet, a Cheque for three thousand Cedis and a huge hamper of confectioneries.
The award winners representing; TV, print and radio categories will, in addition to their awards, travel to Malawi to participate in the continental awards, scheduled for the 12th of December 2024, during which the overall winners will be announced.
Gertrude Ankah won the print category with her story, Ghana’s BT Cowpea: A Great Sign at Last and Ernest Dovlo with his story: Prospects of Agricultural Biotechnology, Insights of Experts.
OFAB operates in ten countries, including Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, and Nigeria.
In a speech read on his behalf, the National Coordinator of OFAB, Dr Richard Ampadu-Ameyaw, said despite the transformative potential of agricultural biotechnology and genetically modification organisms (GMOs) in addressing food security, climate change and other agricultural challenges, the technology remains misunderstood in many parts of the world, including Ghana.
He mentioned misinformation as painting the technology as a “monster” creating unnecessary fear and skepticism, which need to be addressed.
Dr. Ampadu-Ameyaw mentioned increasing population, climate change and declining agricultural yields due to poor-quality seeds and emerging plant and animal diseases as problems that GM technology seeks to address.
He acknowledged the role of the media as critical in helping bridge the gap between scientists, policymakers, and the public to promote informed decision-making and the adoption of the technology.
On the release of the GM Cowpea, the first genetically crop in Ghana, Dr Ampadu-Ameyaw said the Pod Borer Resistant plant has received varietal approval for commercial production. This, he noted, creates the right opportunity for journalists to use evidence-based reporting to bridge the knowledge gap and demystify public perception about biotechnology.
A former Director of Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute, BINARI of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Prof. Kenneth Danso was impressed with the entries submitted this year and entreated more journalists to specialise in science reporting.
To the government, he called for more funds for research to promote sustainable development.
The General Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association, GJA, Edmund Kofi Yeboah, made a case for journalists to be given grants to do in-depth stories to demystify misinformation about emerging scientific technologies that will promote food security amidst climate change and its effects on soils and seeds.
He called for collaboration between scientific institutions and media training schools to whip up the interest of students to venture into science reporting.
ABOUT OFAB
Open Forum on Agriculture Biosafety, OFAB is an initiative of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, AATF. OFAB Ghana chapter was established in 2011 under the auspices of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR with the aim of educating the public about advancements in biotechnology and its role in addressing the food and agricultural challenges in the country.
The OFAB Media Awards was established to recognise and honour media professionals who report on agricultural biotechnology with balance, accuracy, and depth by going beyond their efforts to promote the understanding of biotechnology.
