Ghanaian investigative journalist Edward Adeti has been named the 28th recipient of the prestigious P.A.V. Ansah Journalist of the Year award by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) at the 2025 World Press Freedom Day and Honours Night.
Adeti, renowned for his fearless reporting and hard-hitting investigations, received the top honour in recognition of his significant contributions to journalism and public accountability in Ghana. In addition to the accolade, he was awarded a cash prize of 50,000 Ghana cedis.
Speaking at the ceremony on Friday, May 2, GJA President Albert Kwabena Dwumfour highlighted the growing threat to media freedom in the country, disclosing that 11 journalists were assaulted in February alone. He called on the Ghana Police Service to take urgent steps to address attacks on media practitioners.
“The records are not good for us, especially on economic, security, and legislative indicators. This is the reason why we have been calling on the police to take attacks on journalists seriously, especially bringing perpetrators of attacks on the media to justice to serve as a deterrent to others and to end impunity,” Dwumfour said.
He also reaffirmed the GJA’s commitment to seeking justice for murdered investigative journalist Ahmed Suale, stressing the urgency of police action.
“We haven’t been sleeping on the attacks against our members, the reason why we have been demanding justice for our murdered colleague, Ahmed Suale. We want to reiterate our call on the IGP that the time to act is now,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, reflected on the theme of this year’s celebration and cautioned against the unchecked use of artificial intelligence in journalism. He called for the development of policy frameworks to ensure AI is used responsibly.
“We must ask ourselves, how do we protect press freedom in an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping the media landscape. I firmly believe that the answer lies in balance, a deliberate and inclusive approach to innovation that upholds the principles of transparency, accountability and human dignity. We must develop national and regional AI frameworks that protect press freedom,” he said.