Manasseh Azure Awuni, is Ghanaian investigative journalist and the Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Estate. He previously worked with
Multimedia Group Limited
The Multimedia Group is a media group in Ghana. It was established in 1995 and has six radio stations, six news websites and a satellite television network.
The group has won several local and international awards for its leadership in informat ...
in
Accra,
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
.
His investigative and anti-corruption reports have caused national uproar and resulted in some government officials going to prison. He spends his leisure time speaking at youth programmes and anti-corruption seminars.
Azure has won various awards for his works including the journalist of the year at the
West Africa Media Excellence Awards
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
in 2019 and 2020.
Education
Born in
Bongo in the
Upper East Region
The Upper East Region is located in north Ghana and is the third smallest of the 16 administrative regions in Ghana. It occupies a total land surface of 8,842 square kilometers or 2.7 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. The Upper East regi ...
, Azure moved to
Kete-Krachi
Kete Krachi is the capital of the Krachi West District, in the western part of the Oti Region of Ghana, adjacent to Lake Volta. Kete Krachi is connected by a ferry to the town of Kwadjokrom, and by road to Bimbila and Dambai. Kete Krachi is the se ...
in the Volta Region where he completed his secondary education at
Krachi Senior High School Krachi may refer to;
*Krachi West District, an administrative unit of Ghana
*Kete Krachi, a town in Krachi West District
*Krachi East District, an administrative unit of Ghana
*Krachi West (Ghana parliament constituency), a constituency in Ghana
*K ...
. He proceeded to the
Ghana Institute of Journalism The Ghana Institute of Journalism is a public university in Ghana. The institute has accreditation from the National Accreditation Board.
History
The Ghana Institute of Journalism was established on 16 October 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah, the first pr ...
where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and, later, a Master of Arts degree in communication studies at the
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities.
The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...
.
Career
Manasseh Azure Awuni is currently the Editor-in-Chief, ''The Fourth Estate which is a'' non-profit, public-interest journalism project founded by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).
Azure began his career as a freelance journalist before joining the Multimedia Group Limited in 2012.
where he was the head of investigation at
Joy FM and Joy News, subsidiaries of MGL.
Controversies
Azure's work has always stirred national controversy, notably concerning the Mahama Ford saga. He broke a story in 2016 when the then president, John Mahama, received a Ford Expedition gift from a Burkinabé contractor. Many groups called for an investigation into the saga. The gift was believed to be a return favour for a contract given to the businessman. The story damaged Mahama's second term bid.
In 2019, Azure and Joy FM broadcast a documentary titled "Militia in the heart of the nation" which detailed how a private and unlicensed security group affiliated to the governing
New Patriotic Party
, logo =
, colorcode = #132f7a
, founder =
, founded = 28 July 1992
, dissolved =
, leader = Nana Akufo-Addo
, chairman = Stephen Ayensu Ntim
Stephen Ntim elected NPP National Chairman on fifth attempt http://www.gna.org.gh/1.2152672 ...
operated from the seat of a government annexe, the
Osu Castle
Osu Castle (also known as Fort Christiansborg or the Castle) is a castle located in Osu, Ghana on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa.
A substantial fort was built by Denmark-Norway in the 1660s, thereafter the fort changed ownership ...
. The government denied the story, as expected, but various government spokespersons contradicted one another.
The De-Eye group also sued Azure and the media house. The group abandoned the suit when Azure and the Multimedia Group filed their defence. The journalist has however, won similar defamation suits against those he has investigated.
Books
* ''The Fourth John: Reign, Rejection and Rebound''
* ''Letters to My Future Wife''
* ''Voice of Conscience''
Awards
Manasseh is a receipient of several awards:
[
* 2022: Nominee for the Allard Prize for International Integrity
* 2022: Longlist for One World Media Awards (Popular Features Category)
* 2021: Ghana’s Integrity Personality of the Year, Awarded by GII, Ghana Chapter of Transparency International
* 2021: Millennium Excellence Award for Media Excellence
* 2021: 2nd Prize for Norbert Zongo Africa Investigative Journalism Award
* 2020: Overall Best Journalist for West Africa, West Africa Media Excellence Award
* 2018: Overall Best Journalist for West Africa, West Africa Media Excellence Award
* 2012: 2011 Ghana Journalists Association Best Journalist of the Year
* 2011: 2010 Ghana Journalists Association Most Promising Journalist of the Year]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azure, Manasseh
Living people
Ghanaian radio journalists
1985 births
Ghanaian investigative journalists