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Geoffrey Buta nominated for Joy FM Impact Makers Award
Geoffrey Kwame Buta, a photojournalist with the New Times Corporation (NTC), has been nominated for the 2025 Joy FM Impact Makers Award in the Education category.
Mr Buta, who is also the founder of Foto4Change, was recognised for his efforts in empowering Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students through visual storytelling.
His initiative, launched in 2023, trains students in photography and multimedia production to help them express themselves and document their experiences.
Since its implementation, the initiative has donated five professional cameras and accessories to five institutions in Ghana and Zimbabwe. These cameras are used to train DHH beneficiaries in visual storytelling, giving them practical tools to develop creative and technical skills.
Explaining the initiative, Mr Buta said it was born out of a clear gap he observed in the creative communication space. “Deaf individuals are often left behind and excluded from opportunities in visual storytelling and media,” he noted.
“As a visual journalist and multimedia educator, I believe this gap can be addressed by using my professional skills to empower the deaf community through photography and visual storytelling,” he underlined.
During the maiden donation and training session, at the Savelugu School for the Deaf, Mr Buta noted that he was impressed by the brilliance and creativity of the students. “Their enthusiasm and potential inspired me to expand the initiative to other schools and eventually to Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Deaf Zimbabwe Trust,” he added.
To date, the purchase of cameras and accessories has been fully self-funded through consultancy fees earned from client work. “This personal investment reflects my commitment to creating inclusive platforms for underrepresented voices in media,” he mentioned.
The Visual Storytelling for the Deaf project has so far benefited over 700 students. It has established visual storytelling clubs in five schools for the deaf and supported deaf students studying Mass Communication at Harare Polytechnic in Zimbabwe.
Moreover, Mr Buta stated that Foto4Change was planning a public exhibition to showcase the best works produced by the students from Ghana and Zimbabwe.
The exhibition aims to promote awareness, celebrate the students’ creativity, and build their confidence for future professional opportunities.
To ensure long-term impact, the initiative is also engaging media organisations to consider internship and employment opportunities for hearing-impaired trainees. “We want society to see them not as charity cases, but as capable professionals,” he pointed out.
He is also planning to establish a studio in one of the schools to train the beneficiary students who are interested in studio photography.
With more than a decade of experience in development communication, Mr Buta is a three-time Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Photojournalist of the Year. He has also received the Reuters People’s Choice Award and the Deutsche Welle Human Rights Photography Award.
By Spectator Reporter
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Prioritise affordable treatment of sickle cell treatment —Health Expert
Health experts have urged Ghana to prioritise affordable and accessible treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD) as advanced, but costly curative therapies remain out of reach.
SCD, an inherited blood disorder, affects about three in every 100 newborns in Ghana.
Globally, around 1,000 babies are born with the condition daily, with three-quarters in sub-Saharan Africa.
The disease causes severe complications including chronic pain, anaemia, infections, strokes and organ damage, often leading to shortened life expectancy.
In recent years, gene therapy has been developed as a potential cure.
However, its cost—running into millions of dollars per patient—makes it financially and technically inaccessible in Ghana.
According to Dr Lawrence Osei-Tutu, a Sickle Cell and Childhood Cancer Expert at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, “the country must instead focus on practical, lower-cost interventions such as hydroxyurea”, a decades-old cancer drug proven to reduce painful episodes, hospitalisation and life- threatening complications in SCD patients”.
Taken orally, the medicine improves red blood cell function and is considered safe and effective.
“Hydroxyurea therapy is as good as the cure and a low-hanging fruit to pluck, we must bring a cure to our sickle cell warriors, but do so sustainably.” he urged.
In a chat with The Spectator here, he said to create awareness on the disease, the expert noted that despite its benefits, “hydroxyurea is not widely accessible in Ghana.”
Stressing that, “many patients either cannot afford it or struggle with irregular supply through the health system.”
Moreover, he argued that scaling up access would provide immediate relief while the country builds the infrastructure, trains specialists and secures funding needed to support curative therapies in the future.
With an estimated 15,000 babies born with sickle cell disease annually in Ghana, Dr Osei Tutu cautioned that “failure to improve access to effective treatment will leave many patients vulnerable to preventable complications and early death.”
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
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Let’s reintroduce Cultural Studies to complement educational reforms — Tourism Minister
Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has emphasised the importance of reintroducing Cultural Studies in schools as part of Ghana’s broader educational reform agenda.
She said Cultural Studies would complement existing efforts to reposition Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to promote digital literacy and expand Creative Arts education.
Speaking at the 2025 Homowo Festival of the people of Ningo-Prampram, held on the theme: “Education: The Best Legacy for our Children,” Madam Gomashie said cultural education was critical to national identity and development.
She noted that the festival’s theme aligned with the Government’s vision to transform education in Ghana and encouraged the youth to embrace it not only as a means of personal development but also as a way of preserving traditional values.
These values, including patience, wisdom, and hard work, were at the core of the Homowo celebration, the Minister said.
“Cultural festivals like Homowo are vital instruments for strengthening cultural identity, preserving historical memory, and fostering national unity. Additionally, festivals serve as platforms for educating the youth through storytelling, music, dance, and other traditional practices, while also providing opportunities for community engagement.”
Madam Gomashie highlighted the strong foundation that Ghana’s tourism was built on, which included culture, traditions, and the creative industry, collectively contributing to over GH¢4.8 billion to the economy.
“Festivals give tourists reasons to visit our country. Therefore, with the right infrastructure and the development of all the domains, the sector can do more than what has been recorded,” she added.
Mr Sam Nartey George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, commended the community for their vibrant participation in the festival. He announced plans for the construction of a new nursing training school in Ningo, aimed at expanding access to healthcare education in the area.
Nene Osroagbo Djangmah XII, Paramount Chief of Great Ningo Traditional Area; King Dr Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, Ga Mantse; Nene Tetteh Wakah III, Paramount Chief of the Prampram Traditional Area; Prof. Odaifio Welentsi III, Paramount Chief of the Nungua Traditional Area; Naana Dugbakuwor Dugba II, Paramount Queen Mother of Great Ningo; and Mr. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Special Envoy on Religion and Inter-Faith Affairs, who represented the Chief of Staff, were among dignitaries at the festival. -GNA
