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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
Ahyiresu and Abofrem, two quiet communities in the Atwima Mponua District, have been shaken to the core by a chilling midnight drama that reads like a nightmare.
A pastor and a young mother stand accused of attempting to bury a five‑month‑old baby girl alive, a crime that has ignited outrage and disbelief across the township.
According to police, Apostle Richmond Akwasi Frimpong, 36, Head Pastor of the Anointed Grace Prayer Ministry at Kuffour Camp, conspired with his uncle Emmanuel Appiah, 53, and the child’s mother, 23‑year‑old Beatrice Agyapomaa, to dispose of the infant, Anaya Achiaa, under the cover of darkness.
A fourth suspect, Emmanuel Donkor, remains on the run.
The suspects were caught near a refuse dump around 10 pm on April 9, 2026, after a vigilant resident, Akwasi Twezor, noticed their suspicious movements.
When confronted, they claimed the child was already dead and had palace approval for burial. But Twezor’s instincts proved right—the baby was still alive, gasping faintly for breath.
Chief Linguist, Nana Yaw Badu, later confirmed that Frimpong had misled him earlier in the evening, securing permission for burial by falsely declaring the child dead.
The infant was rushed to the Abofrem Clinic, where she is now responding well to treatment. Police described her as “very beautiful.”
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Evelyn Yitamkey, Commander of DOVVSU in Bibiani, confirmed that the suspects have been provisionally charged.
Frimpong faces attempted murder and conspiracy charges, while Agyapomaa and Appiah are charged with conspiracy and abetment.
They were remanded by the Bibiani Circuit Court, presided over by Judge Frank Asiedu Nimako, to assist investigations.
The docket has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department for advice, ASP Yitamkey indicated.
The attempted crime has provoked fury among residents, many suspecting ritual motives aimed at bolstering the pastor’s influence.
Crowds attempted to attack the suspects outside court, but police intervention prevented mob justice.
The Assembly Member for Ahyiresu, Yusuf Suleiman, has assured residents that justice will be pursued swiftly.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
The forecourt of the African University of Communications and Business (AUCB) in Accra came alive on Friday with colour, creativity and innovation, as Level 300 students transformed the space into a lively exhibition of ideas.
Under the theme “Building meaningful brands beyond the logo,” the students invited patrons into a world where ordinary products were reimagined through storytelling, design and purpose.
From scented candles to innovative food concepts, each stand told a unique story, one that went beyond aesthetics to capture identity, value and human connection.
For many of the students, the event was more than just an academic exercise; it was a moment to dream out loud.
Guided by their lecturer, Peter Wonders, they explored what it truly means to build a brand in today’s competitive world where trust, consistency and experience matter just as much as logos and slogans.
Chairman of the occasion, Nana Kum Gyata VI, in his remarks said a brand is what people say about you when you are not present.
At the end of the presentations, awards were presented to deserving groups with Vida Nyaneba emerging as the overall best branding student.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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