The broadcast programme run by the Ghanaian Association in New Zealand, Radio Akwaaba, has received a 2006 MICIES award for Best Programme. The MICIES is organised every year by Access Community Radio, which provides the platform for broadcasting about 130 different ethnic programmes on Planet FM 104.6 FM, Auckland. The citation accompanying the award recognised that Radio Akwaaba, within a period of less than a year, made great strides to put it in a league of best programmes. This was the result of good organisation, great efforts by the presenters and the enthusiasm of the Ghanaian community in Auckland.
Radio Akwaaba is magazine type show initiated by the Association to promote Ghana’s culture and inform listeners on current issues happening in Ghana and New Zealand. The show started on 14 February 2006 initially as a recorded feed and on 7 March 2006, it went live on air to celebrate Ghana’s 49th independence anniversary. To highlight its launch, Radio Akwaaba was the first to welcome then newly appointed Ghana High Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand, H.E Mr Kofi Sekyiama, by interviewing him from the Chancery in Canberra, Australia. Since then, the programme has become a channel for passionate discussions on current happenings in Ghana and educating the community by inviting Ghanaian professionals, such as doctors, nurses, pharmacist, etc to the show.
The popularity of the show continues to increase and has uplifted the social profile of the community. It is largely funded by donations from the Ghanaian community and grants from the Auckland City Council. Recently, the programme received a confidence boost by securing TelstraClear, a giant telecommunication company in Australasia as a sponsor, promoting its Cheap Chat phone calling card.
Receiving the MICIES award, Dr Charles Ampomah-Dwamena said the community was excited about the programme and welcomed the award, which is a testimony of the hardwork by the Radio Akwaaba team. He expressed the hope that the award will be ‘just the beginning’. Also present to receive the award were the other regular presenters of the show, William Domfeh, Kwame Akowuah and Ishmael Asamoah. Radio Akwaaba is strenuously working towards making the programme available on the web and it is hoped listeners around the world will soon have the opportunity to tune in to Radio Akwaaba-The Best, as wildly claimed by the signature tune.
