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3rd JoyNews Impact Makers Awards winner Geoffrey Kwame Buta shining a light through a lens of inclusion
It was a night of inspiration, resilience, and recognition at the third JoyNews Impact Makers Awards, held on Saturday, June 28, at the Ecobank Head Office in Accra Central.
Ten outstanding individuals from across Ghana were honoured for their extraordinary contributions to transforming vulnerable communities.
Among them stood Geoffrey Kwame Buta, a staff photojournalist with the New Times Corporation, publishers of The Spectator and The Ghanaian Times, whose work continues to break new ground in disability inclusion through visual storytelling.
Buta, a multiple award-winning photojournalist, was recognised for his pioneering initiative Foto4Change, which trains deaf students in visual storytelling.
His passion for empowering the marginalised took a transformative turn when he donated cameras and accessories and initiated a training programme at the Savelugu School for the Deaf in the Northern Region.
What began as a simple gesture of kindness blossomed into a powerful platform for amplifying unheard voices-giving students with hearing impairments the tools to tell their own stories, free from bias, and to pursue creative professions.
To date, Foto4Change has impacted students in five deaf institutions: Savelugu, Gbeogo, and Wa Schools for the deaf in Ghana; and at Harare Polytechnic and the Deaf Zimbabwe Trust in Zimbabwe, where two deaf students are currently studying Mass Communication.
“The deaf and hearing-impaired communities have powerful, emotional, and inspiring stories to tell. They only need the tools and the opportunity.
Foto4Change is a bridge to that future,” Geoffrey said after receiving his award.
He expressed profound gratitude to the team at Foto4Change and the Multimedia Group, particularly Joy FM, for creating a platform that recognises and uplifts changemakers whose work often goes unnoticed.
“This platform not only shines a light on our efforts but inspires us to keep going,” he noted. “It also sends a message to organisations and individuals that supporting people with disabilities is a responsibility we must all share.”
Buta also called for greater support both financial and technical for grassroots initiatives working with the deaf and visually impaired communities.
“With mentorship, access to tools, and consistent training, these young talents can grow into world-class professionals,” he added.
Surrounded by family, friends, and supporters, Buta encouraged fellow changemakers not to underestimate the ripple effects of their efforts.
“Whatever you’re doing in your small corner is contributing to something bigger,” he reminded the audience.
The JoyNews Impact Makers Awards, now in its third year, continues to be a beacon of hope and national celebration for unsung heroes who are quietly reshaping Ghana’s landscape in education, health, social welfare, and sanitation.
From life-saving initiatives in cancer care to Buta’s innovative work with the hearing-impaired, each awardee’s journey reminded the nation that true impact often begins where the spotlight rarely shines.
For Geoffrey Kwame Buta, the lens is a medium for justice, inclusion, and lasting change for people with disability.
Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie, the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has assured the Accra Street Academy of his support in achieving its mission of uplifting vulnerable children within the community to break the cycle of poverty. “Without the needed support, your efforts may go round in circles due to the enormity of the task. This should not be left on the shoulders of the Academy alone. You need support from both government and the private sector. With that, the Academy would be in a good position to shape the future of these children on the streets,” he said.
The Accra Street Academy, originally formed in 1985 as a boxing arena, now serves as a school for deprived children, with most of its population numbering hundreds of pupils being neglected children from the streets of Jamestown and its environs. Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie made these remarks at the annual stakeholders’ meeting and fundraising event held over the weekend under the theme “Empowering Street Children: Health and Wellness.” The event is one of the Academy’s annual programmes, organized to raise funds and other forms of support to aid the school in catering to the needs of the children and holding its Christmas get-together.
According to the MP, it is worth noting that these children are taught and provided with two meals and a snack daily through the support of benevolent members of society. In view of this, he promised to facilitate the acquisition of documents needed for the construction of an Astroturf within the school’s premises. He noted that “every child has the right to play, and therefore I pledged to do my best to secure the needed documents” for the project to commence.
The legislator disclosed that over the years, the academic programmes of the Accra Street Academy have transformed children surviving on the streets into successful adults. He therefore urged other members of society to partner with the school to “help pupils rise higher for a better Ghana.” In the 2025/26 academic year, 22 pupils were absorbed by the Accra Metro Education Directorate as they transitioned into various Junior High Schools, while still returning to the Accra Street Academy for academic support.
Ms. Yvonne Abba-Opoku, a chartered governance advisor and senior executive in the nonprofit and charity sector, stated that the best gift to give a child was education.
By Spectator Reporter
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Mrs Regina Kudom, Senior Midwifery Officer at the New Atuabo Health Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, has urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinic regularly for safe delivery.
She revealed that “in Tarkwa and its environs many pregnant women prefer staying at prayer camps, we are not against that, you can be there, but when your time is up for your antenatal session make sure you attend.”
Mrs Kudom gave the advice when the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) observed the World Prematurity Day with pregnant women at New Atuabo, Huniso and Awudua health centres.
World Prematurity Day falls on November 17, every year, and it is celebrated to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pre-term babies and their families.
She said research suggested that sex during pregnancy could soften the cervix and potentially aid in labour preparation.
“That is the reason why we encourage pregnant women to have sex with their partners, if they do not have any health implications,” she added.
Mrs Kudom appealed to the GFGF to upgrade the New Atuabo health centre as the current structure was too small because they received many patients daily.
Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator for GFGF, explained that they received donations from Project C. U. R. E and the items were given to health facilities in their operational area.
She stated that they noticed there were baby dresses, sanitary pads, and baby apparel, so they decided to distribute them among expectant mothers in three of their host communities.
Madam Mohammed said because the foundation was interested in preventive care, they brought a midwife from the Tarkwa Mine hospital to educate the pregnant women.
She extolled the midwives in New Atuabo health centre for the education they gave to the pregnant women and implored them to heed to the advice given during antenatal visits to reduce maternal deaths in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipalities.
Mr Paa Kwasi Egan, Deputy Chief Physician Assistance, emphasised that a pregnant woman being anemic meant she was not eating a balance diet, and added that, “Some of these women do not have money to buy food or visit antenatal clinics.”
He said when men follow their wives for antenatal visits, they would be educated extensively on why they should provide funds for their pregnant wives.
Mr Egan, therefore, encouraged all men to be involved in their pregnant wives’ antenatal care appointments so they could learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. – GNA
