The United Nations (UN) System in Ghana on Wednesday donated cheque for GH¢ 50.000.00 to the upcoming Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) awards.

With the aim of honouring journalists who excel in promoting development issues, the donation is expected to cover 10 winning categories ranging from maternal health, culture, nutrition, family planning, ethical reporting on children, youth and adolescent health rights, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), volunteerism for peace and development and science.

Presenting the cheque to the executives of the GJA, Ms Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, UN Resident Coordinator, said there was need to inspire Ghanaian journalists to examine and report critical development oriented issues of national concern and bring these issues to the door steps of policy makers and well as the general public.

She said though Ghana for instance was doing well in attaining some objectives of the MDGs, there were more areas that needed serious attention and cited MDGs 4&5, which focused on infant and maternal mortality as examples.

“Improving maternal health requires both improvement of health services and actions at the community level to ensure that women and their new-born have access to the skilled care they need and the media should help increase the awareness of their rights and potential problems and that will help strengthen the linkages for social support for a better health care delivery system”, she added.

Mr Affail Monney President of GJA, commended the UN System in Ghana for their interest to invest in the Ghanaian media and for endorsing freedom of the press.

The GJA President called on corporate bodies to help invest in the Ghanaian media to enable them live up to expectation and help in the development of the country

This year’s GJA awards will come off on November 2, at the Banquet Hall and would be on theme, “Promoting Healthy Partisanship and Fruitful Partnership in Governance: The Role of the Media”.

It will have the Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood as the Guest Speaker, Alhaji Mohamed Garba, and President of the Federation of African Journalists as the Guest of Honour, the UN Resident Coordinator as the Chairperson and Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama as the Special Guest of Honour.

In all, 45 awards would be given to deserving journalists.