Citi FM journalist, Umaru Sanda Amadu has been shortlisted among six (6) Ghanaian journalists to receive an award for reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Umaru Sanda Amadu who hosts Citi FM‘s news analysis program, The Big Issue and Politicos on Citi TV was shortlisted for the award after producing a comprehensive documentary Open defecation along the coast in Accra.
The award-wining news anchor in his documentary revealed how majority of Ghanaians living along the coast in Ghana’s capital, Accra resorted to open defecation on the beaches due to the lack of toilet facilities in their homes.
A research conducted by UNICEF revealed that 1, out of every 5 Ghanaians defecate in the open and only 1 of 6 Ghanaians have toilets in their homes. In the rural areas, only 1 out of every 10 Ghanaians have toilets in their homes.
According to Umaru Sanda Amadu, the prevalence of the phenomenon indicates authorities were losing the fight in combating the menace.
His work was produced as part of project that was jointly funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Dozens of journalists from across the country were trained under the project on the SDGs and were equipped to support the effective implementation of the global goals through quality reporting on them.
Other journalists shortlisted for the award include, Bubu Klinogo (GBC Radio, Accra), Theresa Oppong (Ultimate FM – Kumasi), Michael Mfum Sarpong (Starr FM correspondent – Sunyani), Abdul Hameed Amponsah (Radio Peace, Winneba) and Nina Abena Antwi-Kusi (TV3 Network Limited).
The awards event which is slated for Monday, October 24 is being hosted jointly by The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the UN system in Ghana.
The overall winner will receive a plaque, a citation and a cash prize of GHC 6,000. The first and second runners-up will receive a plaque, citation and cash prizes of GHC 3,000 and GHC2, 000 respectively. The other nominees will each be presented with a certificate of merit.
The top three nominees will be inducted into MFWA’s prestigious Journalism for Change (J4C) Network.
The awards ceremony will bring together representatives from the UN, National Development Planning Commission, the Civil Society Platform on SDGs and the media. The programme will be held at the Ghana International Press Centre in Accra.
‘Umaru Sanda’s nominated documentary’
The documentary that earned Umaru Sanda Amadu the nomination is titled “Living Open Defecation.” It focused on the phenomenon of open defecation at La in Accra; how serious the practice is, and why it will not end anytime soon.
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By: Citifmonline.com/Ghana