Josephine Akaribo is widely known in the media circles in the Upper East Region for her deep knowledge in crafting and telling compelling community stories.
She is a force to reckon with when it comes to reading the news in Gurune and hosting interactive programs in the same language. She has been awarded for her compelling reports by Farm Radio.
It turns out, however, that Ms. Akaribo’s journey in broadcasting was not planned. It is what can be described as a ‘happy accident.’
The details of Ms. Akaribo’s entry into broadcasting became public when she spoke to Humul Khrusum Tahiru on A1 Radio’s Equal Voices program, Sunday, May 19, 2024.
“I didn’t go to a school for journalism. I am a teacher by profession. I went to College, pursued my degree, and then my master’s. I am in the school doing my teaching,” she said.
Ms. Akaribo recounted that while in a community, Style FM, now Gurune Style FM, came to engage the community residents and put them in focus groups.
“The women were supposed to take a tool to explain some concepts. I was not part of them, but I stood by and watched what they were doing. They were finding it so difficult in understanding it, so I got there and told them what to do,” she said.
After helping the women finish their task, the then Director of Style FM commended her efforts and sought her out, seeking to engage her to work with the media outfit.
“They called, but I told them I was not ready to sit in a radio station. I was not even ready to talk,” she recounted.
Despite the initial reluctance, Ms. Akaribo finally agreed to work with the media organization. Through her years of service to the radio station, she has participated in several professional training sessions to build her capacity and grow her competence in broadcast journalism.
Ms. Akaribo said while she had, in the beginning, always doubted the quality of work she did, many who listened to her or were familiar with her work gave her great feedback and doffed their hats for her, “telling me what I did was amazing or it was so good and all that.”
Most of Ms. Akaribo’s work outside of being on air is community-based.
Ms. Akaribo admitted that while journalism may not be a highly financially rewarding venture, it has been very rewarding.
Ms. Akaribo is a teacher at the Zuarungu Senior High School and also owns and runs her own restaurant and pub.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Simth|Ghana
