In December 2022, INMA and Google News Initiative (GNI) awarded their third annual Elevate Scholarship to 50 news media professionals from 31 countries. This series features these impressive media professionals who are shaping our industry.

Jamila Akweley Okertchiri’s passion for journalism was ignited in 2010 when she joined the staff of the Daily Guide newspaper, the largest privately owned daily tabloid in Ghana.

At the time, she was hired as an intern while she completed her studies at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. But once she finished those studies, she returned to the Daily Guide as a full-time journalist. Now, her job entails investigating, gathering, and producing news items and feature articles.

“In the past 10 years, I have carved a niche for myself in human rights, health, migration, business, and climate change reporting,” said the Ghana-based journalist. “I have been accepted to several international conferences and fellowships, including the recent International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) Global Health Reporting Initiative Fellowship.

She has won nearly a dozen awards from local and international organisations, including the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), UNICEF and the International Organisation on Migration, and is now an editor at Daily Guide Network as well as a senior reporter.

“As a female mid-career journalist, I realised there is a lot of demand from society for better representation at the top news media management level,” Okertchiri said.

She pointed to the public’s changing demand for news, gradually shifting from contemporary news items: “Reader profiles are changing, and the demand for diversity is stronger than before. That makes it important for individuals who understand and represent the audience to sit at the decision-making table.”

That includes female journalists like herself.

“I aspire to be a news media consultant and manager with expertise in new media tools and platforms,” she said. That vision has guided her self-development journey, including earning her master’s degree in brands and communication management at the University of Professional Studies, Accra last year. Next, Okertchiri said she looks forward to studying new media management.

Through the Elevate scholarship programme, Okertchiri would like to pick up such skills as news management, using digital tools for better audience engagement, networking, and mentoring.

“Being a female journalist, I believe I have a significant opportunity and role to positively influence the news media industry toward being more sensitive to issues facing women and people who are underprivileged,” she said. “Also, with my background in human rights reporting, I strive to create space for diverse opinions and views, bearing in mind that the inclusiveness of the news media industry is the key to a sustainable future.”

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