From Student Media Awardee to Global Human Rights Awards Founder: The 10-Year Journey of Dr. Joseph Wemakor

Ten years ago, Joseph Kobla Wemakor was a young journalism student whose work in student media earned him recognition at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).

Today, a decade later, Dr Joseph Kobla Wemakor has moved from being the recipient of recognition to becoming the founder and convener of an international platform designed to recognise others contributing to human rights, democracy, peace, justice and social development.

The journey from student media awardee to founder of the HRRG Global RightsShield Awards is a story of professional growth, advocacy, public service and an evolving understanding of the power of recognition.

It is also a journey that demonstrates how an award received at the beginning of a career can become part of the inspiration for creating a platform that celebrates the achievements of others.

The beginning: recognition on a university campus

On April 1, 2016, at the maiden edition of the Campus Clique Awards held at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, now the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), Joseph Kobla Wemakor was adjudged the Most Influential Student Media Personnel.

The award was presented by Hon Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, who was then Ghana’s Minister of Transport.

The Campus Clique Awards were organised by Sparkplug-Gh, a student group championing leadership and academic excellence at GIJ. The maiden event was held under the theme, “Education, Leadership and Service.”

For Wemakor, then a young journalism student, the recognition represented an important milestone.

It was an early affirmation of his growing influence in student media and an indication of a professional journey that would eventually extend well beyond journalism.

The award, however, was not the destination.

It became one of the early building blocks in a journey that would increasingly connect journalism with human rights advocacy, public-interest communication, civic participation and sustainable development.

From campus recognition to national media excellence

In 2018, two years after his Campus Clique recognition, Wemakor won the National Media Competition on Migration Reporting.

The competition was organised by Media Response with support from partners including FMM West Africa, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the European Union and Ghana’s Ministry of Information.

The award was presented by Mr Albert Kofi Owusu, who was then General Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

The recognition reflected Wemakor’s growing commitment to using journalism to draw attention to important social and development issues.

In 2019, he again distinguished himself through the GIJ 60th Anniversary Media Contest.

The competition focused on the theme, “The Role of Media in Promoting Effective Citizen Participation for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals.”

Wemakor emerged as a winner after producing an outstanding print report focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The award was presented by Professor Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, then Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, during the institution’s Anniversary Grand Durbar on October 16, 2019.

By this point, his work was increasingly moving beyond journalism as a profession.

The media was becoming an instrument through which he could contribute to citizenship, human rights, sustainable development and social change.

Taking the human rights message beyond Ghana

Wemakor’s advocacy and communication work subsequently began attracting international attention.

In October 2020, he was featured in the international Business Woman Magazine, based in Ukraine, in connection with efforts to uphold women’s rights in the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdown.

In 2021, he received the Honorary Award for Peace, Security & Education of the Year at the maiden edition of the Africa Early Childhood Awards (AECEA).

The recognition broadened the scope of his public-interest work, linking human rights advocacy with peace, education and the protection of vulnerable groups.

Through Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), which he founded and leads, Wemakor continued to pursue an advocacy model that combines media, public education, civic engagement and human rights reporting to draw attention to issues affecting communities and vulnerable populations.

His work increasingly demonstrated an understanding that journalism could do more than inform the public. It could also mobilise communities, influence conversations, promote accountability and contribute to social change.

2023: A defining year of international recognition

The year 2023 became one of the most significant periods in Wemakor’s journey.

He was honoured with the Africa Peace Advocate Award 2023, presented by the International Association of World Peace Advocates (IAWPA).

He was also selected as a finalist for the 4th Edition of the African Human Rights Defenders Shield Awards, presented by AfricanDefenders, the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network based in Kampala, Uganda.

But perhaps the most significant recognition of the year came through the 5th UN Global Entreps Award.

Wemakor, through the nationwide KTT Project — Kidnapping, Teenage Pregnancy and Tramadol/Drug Abuse Sensitization Campaign — received the award for Best International Practice on Sustainability.

The project had reached more than 60,000 people, demonstrating how grassroots advocacy, strategic communication and public education could generate significant social impact.

The award was conferred in Costa Rica by Entreps — International Board of Global Actors and Business for Sustainability, in partnership with the United Nations framework associated with the initiative.

According to the award documentation, the global contest assessed 1,912 projects and initiatives from 126 countries and regions over a two-year period before selecting initiatives demonstrating strong implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The recognition placed the work of Wemakor and Human Rights Reporters Ghana within a broader international development context.

The KTT Project consequently became more than a sensitisation campaign.

It became evidence of what sustained community-based advocacy and public education could accomplish when combined with strategic communication and grassroots engagement.

2024: Recognition expands beyond advocacy

The momentum continued into 2024.

Wemakor was recognised with the Global Humanitarian and Ministerial Excellence Award for his contributions to human rights advocacy and social impact.

That same year, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Executive Leadership in Humanity from the International Kingdom University in Margate, Florida, USA, in recognition of his achievements and contribution to humanity.

He was also named among Ghana’s 100 Most Impactful Changemakers in 2024, placing him among individuals recognised for making meaningful contributions to social change and national development.

Another important recognition came through the World Bank, where Wemakor was acknowledged for his expert contribution to the Second Edition of the Equality of Opportunity for Sexual and Gender Minorities (EQOSOGI) Report.

Taken together, these recognitions reflected an expanding body of work spanning human rights, media, gender justice, civic participation, peace, sustainable development and community advocacy.

But by this stage, recognition was beginning to take on a different meaning.

When recognition became a responsibility

For Wemakor, the significance of the honours he received went beyond plaques, certificates, titles and ceremonies.

They represented what could happen when professional experience and public platforms were dedicated to service and social impact.

But they also raised a broader question:

What if recognition could become a vehicle for inspiring and amplifying the work of others?

After years of receiving recognition for his own work, Wemakor began looking beyond the award itself.

His attention increasingly turned towards individuals and institutions whose contributions to communities and society may not always receive the visibility they deserve.

That thinking helped give birth to the Global RightsShield Awards.

From award recipient to award platform founder

In 2026, Wemakor took a significant step from being a recipient of recognition to becoming a convener of recognition.

As Founder and Convener of the HRRG Global RightsShield Awards, he is building an international platform designed to celebrate individuals, institutions, civil society organisations, human rights defenders, journalists, advocates, public officials and other actors whose work contributes meaningfully to human rights, democracy, justice, peace and social progress.

The transformation is significant.

The young student media professional who once stood on a university stage to receive an award is now creating a platform that seeks to put others on that same stage.

The person whose own work was once assessed by award committees has now accepted the responsibility of creating a platform through which the contributions of others can be identified, documented and celebrated.

It is a transition from recipient to convener, from being recognised to recognising others, and from personal achievement to institutional legacy.

A decade of recognition and a broader mission

Looking back from 2026, the journey from the 2016 Campus Clique Awards to the creation of the Global RightsShield Awards is not simply a collection of honours.

It is a timeline of growth.

From student journalism to national media competitions.

From migration reporting to sustainable development advocacy.

From community sensitisation to international recognition.

From peace advocacy to human rights defence.

And from working to create impact to creating a platform that celebrates those who create impact.

At the heart of it all has been a conviction that media and advocacy can be powerful instruments for changing lives and strengthening society.

Through Human Rights Reporters Ghana, Wemakor has continued to pursue that conviction, working across areas including human rights, child protection, women’s rights, gender justice, environmental and land rights, climate justice, migration and sustainable livelihoods.

The Global RightsShield Awards therefore represents a natural extension of that philosophy.

It is not simply about giving awards.

It is about telling stories.

It is about documenting impact.

It is about shining a light on people and institutions whose contributions may otherwise remain unnoticed.

And it is about creating inspiration for the next generation of changemakers.

Recognition should create responsibility

There is an important lesson in Wemakor’s journey.

Recognition can be powerful, but recognition should not become the destination.

An award can validate past work, but its greatest value may lie in what it inspires someone to do next.

For Wemakor, the recognition he received over the past decade appears to have strengthened rather than diminished his sense of responsibility.

Every award became another reminder that public service matters.

Every honour became an encouragement to do more.

Every platform became an opportunity to amplify issues affecting people and communities.

And eventually, the accumulated experience led to a new responsibility: creating opportunities for others to be seen, heard and celebrated.

From 2016 to 2026 — and beyond

The journey that began with recognition as a young student media professional in 2016 has now entered a new chapter.

In 2016, Joseph Kobla Wemakor was standing on a university campus receiving recognition for his influence as a student media professional.

In 2026, he is helping build an international recognition platform through which the achievements of others can be brought into the spotlight.

That is the evolution.

From being recognised to recognising others.

From receiving a platform to creating a platform.

From personal achievement to collective impact.

Perhaps the most important lesson from the journey is that the greatest measure of success is not how many awards one receives, but what one does with the credibility, experience and opportunities those awards create.

For Dr Joseph Kobla Wemakor, the next chapter is therefore not simply about adding another award to his collection.

It is about building something that can outlive the individual.

A platform where human rights defenders can be celebrated.

Where advocates can be amplified.

Where institutions making a difference can be acknowledged.

Where courage can be recognised.

Where social impact can be documented.

And where the next generation of changemakers can look at those who came before them and be inspired to serve humanity.

Ten years after receiving recognition as a young student media professional, the journey has come full circle.

He was once recognised for his work.

Today, he is building a platform to recognise the work of others.

And tomorrow, the true measure of that journey may be found not in the awards bearing his name, but in the lives, causes and changemakers that the platform he created helps bring to the world’s attention.

Dr Joseph Kobla Wemakor is the Founder and Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) and Founder/ Convener of the HRRG Global RightsShield Awards Brand