Godwin Asediba
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Media General’s Godwin Asediba has won the Journalist of the Year Award during the 29th GJA awards event.

Godwin Asediba was also adjudged as having submitted the Best Documentaries (TV).

The event was attended by President John Mahama, Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie and the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, used the occasion to appeal to President Mahama to issue a bold national policy statement what he termed the “Manhyia Declaration” to reaffirm Ghana’s commitment to ending illegal mining, once and for all.

Speaking at the 29th GJA Awards held at the Manhyia Palace, on Saturday November 8,2025, under the theme “Self-Guarding Ghana: The Role of the Media in Promoting Security and Peace,” he described the galamsey issue as a full-blown national security crisis, cautioning that galamsey operators have become “bolder, more daring, and increasingly violent.”

“Galamsey is no longer just an environmental problem it has become a threat to national security,” he said.

“The time to act decisively and send a clear message that impunity will not be tolerated is now.

He was sad that some journalists could not attend the event because they were fighting for their lives after being involved in an accident while covering illegal mining operations in the Ashanti Region alongside officials of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

He reiterated the GJA’s commitment to collaborate with the National Security Secretariat and other relevant agencies to ensure that the affected journalists receive urgent medical attention and welfare support.

“We stand in solidarity with our colleagues who were injured while pursuing the national interest,” he said. “This incident reminds us of the grave risks journalists face when exposing the destruction caused by illegal mining.”