The Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has launched the 5th edition of its Regional GJA Awards, challenging journalists to investigate how inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene services affect safe motherhood and healthcare delivery.
The awards, scheduled for October 2, 2026, will be held under the theme, “Beyond the Headlines: The Media’s Role in Promoting WASH for Safe Motherhood and Quality Healthcare.”
Speaking at the launch in Bolgatanga, Upper East Regional Chairman of the GJA, Albert Sore, said the theme was deliberately chosen to encourage journalists to move beyond surface reporting on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) issues and examine their consequences for healthcare.
“We chose this theme deliberately. Water, sanitation and hygiene are sometimes treated as routine development issues. But when we look closely, we see that WASH is directly connected to the health, dignity and survival of our people,” he said.
Mr. Sore said inadequate WASH services can have serious consequences for pregnant women, newborns and the health professionals who care for them.
“For a pregnant woman entering a health facility, access to clean water, proper sanitation and good hygiene is not a luxury. For a mother delivering a child, it can have serious consequences for both her and her baby. For health workers, the absence of reliable water and appropriate sanitation can make an already difficult job even more challenging,” he said.
He therefore challenged journalists to go beyond documenting the absence of water, toilets and proper hygiene facilities and investigate why those problems persist and what authorities are doing to address them.
“The media therefore has a responsibility to go beyond simply reporting that a health facility has no water, inadequate toilets or poor hygiene conditions. We must investigate. We must ask questions, follow up and find out what is being done and what more needs to be done,” Mr. Sore said.
He said the theme also complements WaterAid Ghana’s “Time to Deliver” campaign, which seeks to accelerate action towards improving WASH services in healthcare facilities.
Mr. Sore commended WaterAid Ghana for supporting the Upper East Regional GJA Awards over the past three editions through its SHARE Project.
“So, in appreciation of WaterAid Ghana’s contribution to these awards over the years, and in support of its current work, we have chosen a theme that encourages the media to put WASH and healthcare higher on the public agenda. We hope journalists will take up this challenge and produce journalism that informs, investigates and ultimately contributes to action,” he said.
Upper East Regional Minister Donatus Akamugri Atanga, who officially launched the awards, described the theme as timely and particularly relevant to the region.
“This year’s theme, ‘Beyond the Headlines: The Media’s Role in Promoting WASH for Safe Motherhood and Quality Healthcare,’ is timely and particularly relevant to our Region. Water, sanitation and hygiene are fundamental to public health, human dignity and quality healthcare. No woman should face preventable infection because a health facility lacks adequate water, sanitation or basic hygiene facilities,” he said.
Mr. Atanga also challenged journalists to use their reporting to establish responsibility for WASH deficiencies and examine their impact on communities.
“The media must therefore go beyond reporting that a facility lacks water or sanitation and ask: Why? What is being done? Who is responsible? And what impact is this having on mothers, newborns, health workers and the wider community? That is journalism that promotes accountability,” the Minister stated.
He further encouraged journalists to apply the same approach to other development challenges confronting the region.
“I encourage journalists to deepen their reporting on WASH and other critical development issues, including health, education, agriculture, infrastructure and local governance. Our people deserve journalism that explains not only what happened, but also why it happened, who is affected, what can be done and who must take responsibility,” he added.
The 5th Upper East Regional GJA Awards are headlined by MyTurn Constructions Limited and Lesken Enterprise Limited, with Kacstones Records and Paga Youth Movement as main sponsors.
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