The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has removed the Female Journalist of the Year category from the 2026 GJA Media Awards.
GJA President Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor announced the decision at a news conference on Thursday, September 3, 2026, as part of a review of the awards categories.
According to Mr Dwumfuor, the decision was influenced by the performance of female journalists in previous editions of the awards, with women emerging as winners of the overall Journalist of the Year award on several occasions.
He explained that, in the Association’s view, this had placed female journalists in an advantageous position compared with their male counterparts, prompting the decision to remove the separate category and allow journalists of both genders to compete on the same grounds.
The broader review of the GJA Media Awards has also seen the introduction of two new categories.
The new categories are the Bank of Ghana Governor’s Economic and Financial Story of the Year (GEFSY) and Best Digital and New Media Platform.
The GJA said the new categories were introduced to reflect developments in the media industry and recognise excellence in economic and financial reporting as well as innovation in digital and new media.
Mr Dwumfuor said the changes followed recommendations, suggestions and inputs from members of the Association after journalists were invited to contribute ideas towards improving the awards.
He said the GJA appreciated the contributions received and believes the revised categories would make the awards more relevant and responsive to the changing dynamics of the media industry.
