GBC honours 95-year-old Joe Lartey with new portrait painting

Ray Charles Marfo January 11, 2023

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The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has honoured one of its outstanding veterans, Joe Lartey, for his contribution to the development of sports journalism in Ghana.

The national broadcaster, tweeted a photo of Mr. Lartey, sitting in front of a portrait painting of himself with the logo of the state broadcaster boldly showing on his right side.

Highly revered in the sports journalism fraternity, Joe Lartey was the first president of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG).

Joachim Awuley Lartey (born in Accra on 6 June 1927) began his education at the Accra Royal School before relocating to Tamale with his parents. His father, Emmanuel Akushey Lartey, worked at the Gold Coast Treasury Department.

In 1938, he returned to Accra and was enrolled in Government Senior Boys School in Kinbu. After completing his middle school education in 1943, he got admission to Accra Academy in 1944.

In 1961, he joined the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.

With his experience on the field, Joe Lartey became famous for writing about professional sports and politics.

He excelled as a football commentator and brewed a partnership and friendship with Festus Addae who made the phrase ‘Over To You Joe Lartey’ popular.

Joe Lartey was the Chief Commentator of Ghana’s first Africa Cup of Nations in 1963, the second in 1965 and countless matches in the Ghana Premier League.

He joined Radio Nigeria in Lagos in 1977, staying there until 1990, when he returned to Ghana to host programmes such as Sports Digest and Hall of Fame on the nation’s only television station, GTV.