BoG Launches Economic and Financial Journalism Award with International Training Opportunities

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has announced a new award scheme to recognise excellence in economic and financial journalism, offering winners opportunities for international exposure, professional training and further studies.

The Governor's Economic and Financial Story of the Year Award was announced by Bank of Ghana Governor Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama in a speech he personally delivered at the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards at the Palms Convention Centre, La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, on Saturday, November 7, 2026.

A Package Beyond the Plaque

The award package is unusually comprehensive for a Ghanaian journalism prize. It includes sponsorship for the winner to attend either the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Spring Meetings or Annual Meetings, a laptop computer and a one-year internet data subscription.

It will also provide access to professional fellowships with institutions such as the Thomson Foundation, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and accredited local journalism training centres.

Other opportunities include scholarships for further studies in media, communications and related fields, as well as professional exchange programmes with international media organisations such as Bloomberg and Reuters.

“Our objective is simple: to invest in the development of journalists who can continue to elevate the quality of economic and financial reporting in Ghana,” the Governor said.

Why the Central Bank Is Investing in Journalism

Dr Asiama described the media as an essential partner in helping the public understand economic and financial developments. He noted that issues such as monetary policy, inflation, financial sector reforms, exchange rate movements and digital financial innovations could be complex, making accurate and accessible reporting important to public understanding.

“It is through accurate, balanced, and insightful reporting that these issues are translated into information citizens can understand and use,” he said.

The Governor also emphasised the importance of effective communication in central banking, saying public understanding of the Bank's policies was critical to their effectiveness.

“Our policies are most effective when they are clearly understood by the public. Transparency, credibility, and accountability require open and effective engagement with all stakeholders, including the media,” he said.

Background: A Relationship Forged in Crisis

The Bank of Ghana's relationship with the media has not always been smooth. During the country's sovereign debt crisis, the central bank frequently found itself at the centre of public scrutiny—and sometimes public misinformation. In August 2025, the BoG issued a statement urging media practitioners to verify financial information with the regulator before publication, citing a “striking increase in misinformation and disinformation, largely propagated through social media” that could trigger “unwarranted anxiety, panic withdrawals, and a loss of confidence in the financial system” .

At the time, the Bank identified several circulating falsehoods, including claims that the Governor had been caught on camera taking money, that the Bank was selling its headquarters, and that commercial banks had been instructed to stop cash withdrawals . The BoG described these as false publications and warned that they could undermine financial stability.

The new award scheme represents a shift in strategy: rather than responding to misinformation after the fact, the central bank is investing in the capacity of journalists to get the story right in the first place.

The award also formalises a recognition that had already begun at this year's ceremony. GBC's Esther Aidoo was named the winner of the Bank of Ghana Governor's Economic and Financial Story of the Year award, a prize that the new scheme will now institutionalise and expand .

A Broader Push for Specialisation

The award forms part of the Bank's efforts to encourage specialised reporting on economic and financial issues and promote greater public understanding of developments in the sector. It is expected to provide journalists with opportunities to build their reporting skills and deepen their knowledge of issues that affect businesses, households and the wider economy.

The timing is significant. Ghana is navigating a delicate economic recovery, with the government targeting an investment-grade credit rating and unveiling a US$9 billion "New Economy" plan. The public's understanding of these developments—and the media's ability to explain them without distortion or sensationalism—will shape the political and economic conversation in the years ahead.

For the BoG, the calculation is straightforward: a better-informed public is more likely to understand and support difficult policy decisions, and a better-trained press corps is less likely to amplify the falsehoods that can destabilise confidence in the financial system. The Governor's Economic and Financial Story of the Year Award is, in that sense, an investment in the Bank's own operating environment.