A Ghanaian Times reporter, Jonathan Donkor, was on Friday selected as one of the six winners of the 2022 Reporting Migration Competition held in Accra.
“He placed second in the online/print category of the competition.”
His story on “Making the greener pastures safe for labour migration”, sheds light on the dangers involved in irregular migration, and how through robust measures, labour migration could serve as a tool to help reduce the unemployment situation in the country which pushes the youth to embark on such dangerous journeys.
It also delves into the benefits of well-coordinated labour migration including remittances and how it could help the socio-economic development of the country.
Various media institutions including Daily Graphic, Citi FM, Daily Guide, Joy FM also had reporters receive awards in their respective categories.
The competition was organised by the International Organisation for Migration under the United Nations in partnership with the European Union.
Ms Pooja Bhalia, Project manager of EU, IOM Ghana, said the initiative was created to help journalists tell migration stories adding that migration was a complex topic and journalists play an important role in that.
The competition she said celebrated journalists who brought attention to the many facets of migration in West and Central Africa in both French and English.
According to her it was the role of journalists to give the public a clear understanding of all sides of the migration paradigm and that was what her outfit stood for.
“Media coverage impacts the range and quality of information received by the public. It can contribute immensely towards raising activities, informing returning migrants and the public about the dangers of irregular migration,” she stated.
She said when migration is highlighted it tends to be framed in a negative manner in which migration is linked to perceived security threats, health dangers and economic problems adding that it was her outfit’s intention to continue to mentor and build the capacity of journalists to harness their expertise to raise awareness on the dangers of irregular migrants.
Mr Donkor speaking with the paper after the event expressed gratitude to the organiser for recognising his effort and promised to carry on the fight against irregular migration in his reportage.
He appealed to the media to double up commitment and focus on migration-related stories.
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY
