*Accra 8th July, 10:00 GMT:* Integriti PR, a West African avant-garde communications company in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and partners within the telecommunications sector in Ghana has announced the establishment of a yearly award scheme for journalists operating within the telecom industry christened; Telecom Journalists Awards. The Awards will reward and motivate deserving journalists working to improve quality access, service delivery and accountability within Ghana’s telecom sector.

In a statement released after a stakeholders’ consultative forum in Accra, Mr. Kojo Williams, Lead PR Consultant for Integriti PR and Coordinator for the Telecom Journalists Awards intimated that; ‘The contribution of the telecom sector to the improvement in quality of life of Ghanaians cannot be over-emphasized. Our lives and livelihoods as a people have been reformed and revolutionized by the continuous growth of the telecom industry. From a local farmer who uses the mobile phone to transact business, doctors saving lives via live-stream by experts; an entrepreneur or student conducting research online, our ways of life have tremendously improved.’

He continued: ‘It is therefore very important to identify, reward and propel the contributions of hard-working journalists who work tirelessly to help the improvement of quality service delivery and help trigger competitive range of voice and data packages within the telecom industry.’

The maiden edition of the awards is slated for October 2013, but submissions and nominations would be announced in July. Every telecom journalist working with any Ghanaian radio, television, print or online media qualifies to submit entries or be nominated for the Telecom Journalists Awards 2013. Submissions and enquiries could be made through tjaghana@gmail.com.

‘While celebrating the milestone chalked by players within the telecom industry, we need to highlight the contributions of journalists who help put the industry perpetually on its watchful toes and help convey to the generality of Ghanaians, the possibilities the telecom industry and its players offer us every day,’ Mr. Williams concluded.

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*Boiler-plate:*

*The Telecom Journalists Awards, TJA, is instituted to identify, reward and propel journalists working within the telecommunications sector in Ghana. In its first year and with supports from relevant stakeholders, TJA is poised to highlight the importance of ethical and professional journalism to the growth and sustainability of the telecom industry. It is a yearly award scheme that is replicated across major African countries where journalists have contributed immensely to the fortunes of the telecom industry and its most important stakeholder; the customer. Enquiries: tjaghana@gmail.com*