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Public Relations amidst COVID-19: Top 10 female practitioners for year 2020
Every year Women in PR Ghana, a networking platform aimed at mentoring the next generation of young Public Relations and communications professionals releases a list of female practitioners valuable contributions towards the growth of their organisations or private enterprises.
In spite of the disruptions caused by COVID-19, some practitioners still defied the odds to make a mark in their respective organisations. The top 10 outstanding women in 2020 were named recently and, as expected, some popular names popped up again.
According to Women in PR, the list was compiled based on how the women tackled COVID-19, through “internal and external communications”, and how they used the period to “impact the vulnerable” in society.”
Here is a summary of their achievements and impact, as published by Women in PR Ghana.
Ms Esther Cobbah (CEO, Stratcomm Africa)
The award- winning practitioner and advocate of green environment was listed for using her social media platforms to host live conversations on ‘Green Living’ and offer useful tips to her followers on how to start, grow and maintain simple green plots/gardens at home.
Her organisation, Stratcomm Africa, supported the national communications efforts by rolling out series of communication campaigns such as “Koo the COVID Prefect” in the ‘Fante’ dialect to educate the public on COVID-19.
The 8th edition of her annual Ghana Garden and Flower Show which usually took place as a physical event was hosted virtually due to restrictions on physical activities.
Ms Shirley Tony Kum (Corporate Communications Manager, Vivo Energy)
Throughout year 2020, Shirley is said to have led and driven several sustainable and impactful projects within her industry.
Her organisation, Vivo Energy (Shell) launched an initiative dubbed ‘Retailer Sustainability Programme’ to complement government’s efforts in combating COVID-19.
The programme led the organisation to roll out a number of interventions for their staff and local communities.
She led her team to win some awards including Excellence Award in Corporate Social Responsibility (Downstream) at the Ghana Oil and Gas Awards.
She was adjudged the ‘Unsung Hero’ for her outstanding contribution to the Oil and Gas Industry under the Vivo Energy brand and also won the ‘Corporate Lady of the Year ‘ at the 2020 Women’s Choice Awards Africa.
Ms Cynthia Eyram Ofori-Dwumfuo (Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Hollard Ghana)
During the COVID-19, she led her team at Hollard Ghana to develop a communication strategy through the use of affection emojis (a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion) on branded bus stop shelters.
The emojis were the team’s way of communicating love and care to the many individuals affected by the pandemic.
In October 2020, Cynthia led her team to pay the road tolls of over 20,000 motorists as a gesture of appreciation and care, as part of the company’s customer service week celebration and she led her organisation to make donations to relevant institutions.
Ms Cassandra Twum Ampofo (Head of Public Relations Unit, Ghana Education Service)
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of schools and presented some hard times to her institution, however, Cassandra was prepared to provide adequate information on every issue raised with resilience and tenacity.
She is credited for improving brand visibility of the Ghana Education Service (GES both online and in mainstream media.
GES partnered the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation to introduce the Ghana Learning TV — a free-to-air channel to bridge the learning gap during the lockdown and closure of schools.
In September 2020, she won the Communications Personality of the Year at the National Communications Awards.
Ms Sophia Lissah (Group Head, Communications, Jospong Group of Companies)
Ms. Sophia’s organisation had made a number of logistic and financial contribution towards the fight against COVID-19, such as cash donations to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) to promote research on COVID-19, and had also led nationwide disinfection of schools, markets, and other public places.
Ms Praise Nutakor (Head of UNDP Ghana’s Communications Unit)
In 2020, she led her organisation on a number of campaigns and interventions such as the ‘For Better Business Together’ programme, ‘Youth Impact Series’, ‘COVID-19 Intervention Challenge’, ‘Digital Transformation and Financial Inclusion’, ‘Ballots without Bullets’, among others.
Nana Efua Rockson (Head, Communications & Public Relations of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, UNESCO Category II Centre)
Until her current role with UNESCO, she was the Group Head, Corporate Affairs & Marketing of GLICO GROUP Limited. During the pandemic, her organisation donated some essential items to the Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana Air Force among others.
In the course of the year, she was awarded at the Ghana Insurance Awards 2020 for her contribution to the Insurance industry in sustaining a vibrant brand at GLICO while serving on various committees to create insurance awareness.
Ms Josephine Appiah Nyamekye (Afrobarometer Communications Coordinator for Anglophone West Africa CDD-Ghana
COVID-19 presented an opportunity for her team to explore innovative strategies to help strengthen CDD-Ghana and Afrobarometer’s partnerships with its stakeholders.
She had been instrumental in helping CDD-Ghana and Afrobarometer feed into national and international discourse and policy discussions on COVID-19.
In 2020, Ms Josephine (co)authored about a dozen research papers and blogposts some of which were featured on platforms such as the Washington Post and Brookings Institution.
She was instrumental in leading the Communication’s Team of Coalition of Domestic Elections Observers (CODEO) to provide information about the electoral environment.
Ms Georgina Asare Fiagbenu (Senior Manager for Corporate Communications – MTN Ghana)
During the pandemic, her organisation’s foundation (MTN Foundation) distributed Personal Protective Equipment to support the fight against COVID-19 across various health facilities in the 16 regions.
Ms Silvia Owusu- Ankomah (Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC)
Sylvia and the Guinness Ghana team, having recognised the dire impact of COVID-19, took steps to roll out a loyalty initiative dubbed ‘Rise Up’ where they invested significant funds to support their trade partners and customers to get back to business.
Sylvia and her team introduced ‘Link Up’ – a promotion which offered consumers sufficient mobile phone airtime whenever they purchased the companies range of products.
She again led her team to unveil Guinness Ghana’s new corporate identity with a refreshed and redesigned logo as part of activities to celebrate the brand’s 60 years of impact in Ghana.
By Spectator Reporter
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
