It was a night filled with anticipation and recognition, as journalists from all over Ghana gathered at the Accra International Conference Centre for the 28th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards on Saturday, September 28, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the honourees, one name echoed loudly\u2014Muftawu Nabila Abdulai, who was crowned the GJA Sports Journalist of the Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The GJA is the professional body that represents journalists in Ghana, and receiving an award from such an institution is no small feat. Muftawu\u2019s accolade was one of the night\u2019s top highlights, marking a pinnacle in his career that has spanned over a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he took the stage to accept his medal and plaque, there was a sense of pride not only from him but from his colleagues and the entire sports journalism community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the boy from Duu, however, this wasn\u2019t just a personal achievement. It was a mantle of responsibility. \u201cThis is a responsibility,\u201d he began with a smile that reflected the weight of the moment. \u201cIt is a responsibility to uphold the highest standards of journalism, a responsibility to leave a legacy. I walked into the offices of the Multimedia Group about four years ago, and today, I stand here as Ghana\u2019s Sports Journalist of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gratitude poured from his post-award interview as he thanked Kwasi Twum, the visionary man behind the Multimedia Group, for providing the platform that allowed his work to shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also expressed deep appreciation to his colleagues at JoySports and across other departments within the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The early years: A pen in hand, a story to tell<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Long before the spotlight of the GJA awards, Muftawu had quietly been honing his craft, steadily building a reputation as one of the most reliable voices in sports journalism. His journey, like all great stories, had humble beginnings\u2014starting not with a camera or microphone, but with a simple blog and a deep love for writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During his days at Wulugu Ranch JSS and later Lartebiokorshie ‘3’ JSS, Muftawu’s passion for storytelling was evident. He would eagerly write letters and articles for his teachers, asking them to mark and critique his work. \u201cI\u2019ve always had a love for writing,\u201d he recalls fondly. \u201cEven in school, I would spend my time crafting stories, hoping to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Bawku Secondary School, Muftawu\u2019s love affair with the written word blossomed even further. He would devour every newspaper he could find in the library, even if they arrived days late. His hunger for knowledge and his desire to stay informed were insatiable. \u201cI would describe myself as one of those disappointed footballers who found a way of staying in the game,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like many young boys, he had dreams of becoming a footballer. He played the game passionately\u2014even when illness tried to keep him off the pitch. \u201cI remember one time, my primary school teacher, Mr Iddi, had to pull me off the school team because I was too sick to play. But as soon as I recovered, I made the team again and was named one of the top six talents during inter-school tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Football may not have been his destiny, but Muftawu\u2019s love for the sport never wavered. Even when he moved to Accra to join his mother, he immersed himself in football, albeit from a different perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBack in the village, we only had a small black-and-white TV. It was maybe a 5-inch screen, but I\u2019d sit glued to it, watching every match. When I got to secondary school, like any other science student, we were told our subjects were difficult so the focus was on my books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “However, when I was in my second year, I became a referee and the house coach. I even debated for my school and never lost a match!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The road to journalism: A path paved with perseverance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unbeknownst to him, Muftawu was laying the groundwork for a career in media. His constant reading and writing kept him sharp, but not without its challenges. He recalled a particularly disheartening incident in school when a teacher, Mr Miilu Maurice, punished him for an article he\u2019d written. The content of the article\u2014a story about a wicked woman mistreating her niece\u2014angered the teacher, who locked him in his office and confiscated his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMr Maurice almost killed my writing dream,\u201d Muftawu admitted. \u201cBut somehow, I found my way back to it. I even had three articles published in the school’s first-ever magazine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After secondary school, life took Muftawu on an unexpected journey. He worked as a garden boy at Gulf House and later moved to the Airport VVIP lounge as he worked to raise money to further his education, all while feeding his passion for reading and storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When he was on this, practising media was never a part of his books because he wanted to be a teacher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, he enrolled at Rabodef, a radio school run by veteran broadcaster, Tommy Annan-Forson and Nana Yaa Agyare to learn how to read and write better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When opportunities for internships at Metro TV, Radio Gold, and Viasat 1 TV didn\u2019t pan out after graduating from Rabodef, he decided to create a blog\u2014a move that would change the trajectory of his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI started writing again, even though my early articles were a bit amateurish,\u201d he said with a grin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But persistence paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Muftawu called into sports shows, contributing his thoughts on football, until one day, a friend named Jeffrey invited him to appear as a guest on a weekend sports show at the now-defunct Choice FM. That marked his first on-air experience, and from then on, he became a regular guest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He had transitioned to Sports 24 and began contributing to goal.com Ghana through Kent Mensah. It was the turning point for this young man born in Duu and groomed in Nabari in the North East Region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Muftawu had fun writing features and opinionated articles and he wrote many for\u00a0goal.com\u00a0before and during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, which allowed him to network with key figures and further establish his credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All these were pastimes as he wrote for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The breakthrough: A career takes shape<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A chance meeting with Godfred Akoto Boafo at a Ghana Football Association press conference in 2014 would prove to be another pivotal moment. A few weeks later, Mr Akoto Boafo who had seen his works on\u00a0goal.com\u00a0offered him an opportunity at\u00a0allsports.com.gh, now\u00a0pulse.com.gh\/sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a call that handed him his first media-paying job and he did it passionately. He toured Ghana Premier League centres and athletics events, especially the Ghana Athletics circuit championships, and wrote many stories. His journey began to take proper shape as he deliberately covered these events and wrote reports on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was assigned many tasks during AFCON 2015 in Equatorial Guinea and even after the tournament. Noticing his love for athletics and feature writing, Godfred assigned often him to these events or ask him to watch matches and write articles titled, “Five things we learnt from Ghana\u2019s loss or win, or draw, etc.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n His knack for investigative reporting, such as the story involving former Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi when he was defrauded to the tune of $66,000, further cemented his reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI remember exchanging WhatsApp messages with Mr Nyantakyi to ensure that my reporting was fair and accurate,\u201d he reflected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He wrote an article in June 2015 titled, “How Stephen Appiah redefined the Black Stars,” same year when the former Black Stars captain was preparing for his testimonial match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In July same year, he wrote two articles on Sellas Tetteh and Asamoah Gyan. Ghana U20 had lost to Mali in the 2015 U-20 World Cup and Tetteh, the only African coach with a FIFA U-20 World Cup gold medal suddenly became a villain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Muftawu disagreed. The one he wrote on Gyan was after his big-money move to China that made him the eighth-highest player in the world. Gyan had experienced lots of tribulations and that success meant “Asamoah Gyan – a testimony of survivor.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n In August, he wrote the most controversial article on Kwesi Nyantakyi, “If Kwesi Nyantakyi is corrupt as we are made to believe, why is he the favourite for the FA presidency again?” it dominated conversations leading up to the FA elections in Tamale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In November and December, he was at it again, describing Rabiu Mohammed and Majeed Waris as privileged Black Stars fans after Ghana\u2019s win over Comoros in a 2018 World Cup qualifier, before accusing the GFA stabbing GN Bank and Division One League after its officials did not show up for DOL 2015 Awards night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Executive Council member Lawyer Kweku Eyiah later arrived to represent the FA. Muftawu’s profile began to take shape and Primeval Media, led by Lawrence Opare Otoo tapped into it to help it grow, but it didn’t take long before Viasat 1 TV, a channel he had tried to intern with came calling to give him a job. Muftawu crossed the carpet to the now-defunct Viasat 1 TV, which became his first major media employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a chance taken on him by then-editor, Linda Sarfoa Antwi, who later said, “I would do it over and over again.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Muftawu Nabila Abdulai\u2019s rise in the world of sports journalism is a story of resilience, adaptability, and the power of local content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the moment he launched his YouTube channel, his consistency in covering local events and press conferences made him a go-to source for his colleagues. It wasn\u2019t long before his name became synonymous with comprehensive coverage and inside scoops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On his very first day at Viasat 1 TV, Muftawu was shown how to edit a story just once. Though he started out slow, he quickly became proficient, learning to edit his pieces for the news. By the time the company transitioned to Kwese TV, Muftawu had mastered editing so well that he could handle footage from three different cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walking in with zero editing experience, he left as a near-expert in Adobe Premiere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout his time at Viasat, he continued writing for allsports.com.gh, later known as pulse.com.gh, penning numerous articles on standout players from the Ghana Premier League like Latif Blessing and Akwesi Donsu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His writings didn\u2019t just highlight players’ talent but also delved into the systemic issues within Ghanaian football. His article on how the Division One League was a \u2018death trap\u2019 for players due to hooliganism led to significant action from the Ghana Football Association (GFA), proving just how impactful his work had become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As his career progressed, he built an impressive network within the Ghana Premier League, especially with clubs like Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak. His sources were so reliable that every story he broke came true. His influence was so strong that rumours circulated he had a hand in hiring Portuguese trainer, Sergio Traguil, for Hearts of Oak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Muftawu’s connections didn\u2019t stop there. He became the first to break the news that SuperSport was ending its partnership with the GFA, with StarTimes set to replace them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was months before the news became official, but his scoop proved accurate once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of his most explosive stories came when he uncovered FIFA\u2019s sanctions against GFA officials Isaac Addo and Nana Banyin Eyison following allegations of impropriety at the FIFA Women\u2019s U-20 World Cup in Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the GFA\u2019s silence, he reached out directly to FIFA\u2019s Ethics Committee, receiving confirmation that the duo had indeed been sanctioned, though the details were protected by FIFA\u2019s Code of Ethics. This revelation cemented his reputation as a journalist who could uncover what others couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His coverage extended beyond local stories. Ahead of Ghana\u2019s 2017 AFCON qualifier against Rwanda, Muftawu reported on the tense relationship between the GFA and the Sports Ministry, including how FA officials had to buy their own tickets to watch the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At a press conference for the 2017 AFCON squad announcement, Muftawu asked Avram Grant why no local outfield players had been selected for the national team. Grant\u2019s response was a measured defence of his decision, while FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi backed the coach by emphasising that player selection was based on merit, not location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-01-at-14.39.38-1-1.jpeg\")
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