Western Publications Limited, publishers of the DAILY GUIDE, have announced the appointment of Ms. Jamila Akweley Okertchiri as substantive editor of the newspaper.
The appointment, which takes immediate effect, makes her the second female editor of the largest circulating private newspaper in the country, the first being Mrs. Gina Ama Blay, now Ghana’s Ambassador to Germany.
Jamila, a multiple-award winning journalist, succeeds Samuel Amponsah Boadi, who has been assigned a new role by the company.
She joined DAILY GUIDE in 2012 as an intern following which she undertook her National Service with the newspaper. During the period, she headed the health desk and performed the role of sub-editor for the online segment of the network.
She has a Master’s Degree in Brands and Communications Management from the University of Professional Studies and a Degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
Her coverage of migration, health, environment and human rights issues has become a touchpoint for serious dialogue and mass education.
She is a member of the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA) and has distinguished herself as a female journalist, winning six GJA awards, including Female Journalist of the Year (2018), and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Media Reporting Award, 2022.
She is the Co-founder of the Media Network On Migration (MENOM), an organisation birthed by journalists who are passionate about telling stories and advocating the rights of domestic migrants.
Through her work as a health journalist, she has had the opportunity to participate in international conferences such as the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP), USAID sponsored Population Reference Bureau’s Women’s Edition Africa, International Women in Media Foundation (IWMF), Global Health Reporting Initiative (GHRI) fellow, the African Women Journalism Project (AWJP) and the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ), West African GBV Reporting Fellowship for Women Journalists.
Through her stories, which are informed by solid investigative journalism, she has actively engaged leadership in the migration and health sectors of the country in the discourse on such compelling issues as migration, women in business and entrepreneurship.
In the course of her career, she has travelled to many countries for work-related workshops.
She has promised to continue to discharge her new role with diligence and in consonance with the ethics of journalism.
With an excellent interpersonal relationship, one of her roles over the years has been assisting interns both local and foreign to learn the ropes of the newsroom.