The inspiring story of Ghana's Best Journalist

She is one of six children born in a village to humble parents. She sold salt, cocoyam, and plantain for her mum as a child. That was her contribution towards fending for the family.

She came to the big city at the age of eight, and worked her way up in school until she graduated with a Journalism Diploma from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2001.


Today, Mabel Aku Baneseh, who describes herself as a “very arrogant” person, who stands for her rights, no matter what, is the Journalist of the Year 2013. But she did not get here from out of the blue. She worked hard for it.


From her days as a cub journalist, to, eventually, becoming a top notch journalist with the state-owned Daily Graphic newspaper, Mabel has covered a myriad of stories ranging from sanitation – which was her passion when she started doing serious journalism – to Court reporting, which has earned her the icing she needed atop her journalism cake.

But even in her glory as a top Journalist, Mabel never forgets her humble roots. She told Super Morning Show Host, Kojo Yankson on Joy FM Friday that she still sells “shito” for her mum.


“I chase Lawyers at the Courts with shito,” she said in the celebratory interview.