Ghana’s most influential news organization, JOYNEWS, has received support from the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) to enhance its digital infrastructure.

Established in 1995, JOYNEWS started as the first licensed private radio station in the country. It has evolved into one of the largest and most staunchly independent media channels in the country, renowned for exposing corruption within public institutions.

In an announcement published on its website, IFPIM said: “The International Fund grant will support the station’s work to continue pursuing its mission in an increasingly difficult operating environment. This funding will specifically enable the organization to invest in essential digital infrastructure, including technological upgrades and staff capacity building. The ultimate objective is to optimize its digital assets for the efficient dissemination of content.”

JOYNEWS provides comprehensive news and current affairs coverage across various platforms, including television, radio, and online. As a 24-hour news channel, the platform’s mission is to deliver factual, informative, and impactful public interest journalism.

Its content spans various genres, such as local and international news, current affairs, talk shows, and magazine programmes. The JOYNEWS brand is widely recognized for its award-winning investigative documentaries and features that have exposed various forms of corruption within Ghanaian government agencies.

Some of these documentaries have led to policy changes and the recovery of funds to the state. In addition to its television and radio broadcasts, JOYNEWS maintains a robust online presence through its website and social media platforms.

It provides text-based news articles, podcasts, videos, and live streaming of its broadcasts, ensuring accessibility to a global audience.

Committed to the principles of independent, fearless, and credible journalism, the brand has established strong partnerships with international broadcasters, including the BBC and Deutsche Welle (DW), Aljazeera, and Voice of America (VOA).

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JOYNEWS’ Impact

The channel’s over 100 local and international awards, are a testament to its years of public-interest storytelling in the areas of human rights, anti-corruption, and social justice. Here are some examples of work done and the results:

Contracts for Sale (2019): An investigation into how the then Chief Executive of the Public Procurement Authority in Ghana influenced procurement procedures, won contracts with companies he had formed, and sold these contracts to other entities.

Porous Borders (2019): This JOYNEWS documentary uncovered the many illegal routes through which some merchants smuggled goods into and out of Ghana. The Ghana Immigration Service tightened the borders and beefed-up security along Ghana’s borders after the release of the documentary.

Missing Kilos (2020): This documentary is about how poor cocoa farmers were cheated by cocoa clerks at weighing centres.

Hunting the Witch Hunters (2022). This focused on the abuse of the rights of old women branded as witches in their communities. This followed the lynching of an alleged witch who was taken from a “witch camp” and killed. JOYNEWS launched an active public interest campaign with a series of documentaries in the remote Northern Regions of Ghana. The campaign galvanized civil society activism, inspiring a national dialogue.

The Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) investigations. The Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) investigations: The investigations uncovered deep-seated corruption in the management of the agency, set up as part of the government's efforts to address Ghana’s unemployment crisis.  It revealed how officials diverted state funds for their private benefit. It led to the prosecution and imprisonment of the agency’s national coordinator and a businessman. It also led to far-reaching reforms including the passage of a new law that restructured the employment agency.

Destruction for Gold and Poisoned for Gold: These documentaries highlighted the pillaging and destruction of Ghana’s forest reserves and the pollution of rivers and streams across the country. The docuseries highlighted the heavy impact of illegal mining, popularly known as “galamsey” on local communities and their livelihoods. It also established a link between illegal mining - often done with mercury - and deformities among newborn babies. It’s the first time any media house has drudged through the forests of Ghana to highlight a problem many politicians have only paid lip service to. The documentaries triggered a national uproar and pushed the government of the day to intensify its so-called fight against illegal mining.

Locked and Forgotten: A riveting documentary about poor conditions in Ghana’s prisons. It highlighted how congestion in correctional facilities across the country had led to serious human rights violations. The documentary explored how so many inmates were held for years without trial. Following this expose, Ghana’s then President John Mahama, and his Chief Justice, triggered a Justice for All programme that sent magistrates and judges to the prisons to directly hear cases. Through this programme, many inmates had their freedom and significantly reduced the congestion in the prisons.

Next to Die: This was a JOYNEWS special assignment documentary that focused on the alarming rate of maternal and child deaths at the Mother and Baby Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Ghana’s second largest teaching hospital. It highlighted the congestion and the general deplorable state of the unit. The documentary served as a trigger for a nationwide fundraising campaign in partnership with Ghana’s First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo. The campaign eventually led to the construction of a new ultramodern facility with a total built area of 2,722 square meters. Before the JOYNEWS documentary, the unit recorded 135 maternal deaths between 2017 to 2018. Following the documentary and the resultant fundraiser which led to the construction of the new facility, mortality figures improved.