From Receiving Recognition to Recognising Others: My 10-Year Transformation

There are moments in life that seem ordinary when they happen, but years later you realise they quietly changed the direction of your future.

For me, one of those moments happened on April 1, 2016.

I was a journalism student at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), now the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), when I was recognised as the ‘Most Influential Student Media Personnel’ at the maiden Campus Clique Awards.

At the time, I saw it as an encouragement.

Looking back ten years later, I now see it as the beginning of a much bigger journey.

Today, in 2026, I am no longer only receiving recognition for my own work.

I have become the Founder and Convener of the HRRG Global RightsShield Awards—a platform created to recognise individuals and institutions advancing human rights, democracy, peace, justice and social development across Africa and beyond.

This is the story of how one award became part of the inspiration for creating a platform that now celebrates the work of others.

Where it all began

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

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

As a young journalism student, I felt honoured.

But more importantly, I felt challenged.

That recognition planted a conviction in me—that journalism could be more than writing stories.

It could become a tool for advocacy.

It could become a voice for vulnerable communities.

It could become a force for social change.

I did not know exactly where that conviction would lead me.

I only knew I wanted to keep moving.

Learning that journalism could create impact

Two years later, in 2018, I won the National Media Competition on Migration Reporting.

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

Receiving that recognition reinforced something I was beginning to understand.

Stories matter.

When journalism focuses on migration, inequality, human rights, and development, it can influence conversations that affect real lives.

In 2019, another opportunity came through the GIJ 60th Anniversary Media Contest.

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

I won with a print report centered on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The award was presented by Professor Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo during GIJ's Anniversary Grand Durbar on October 16, 2019.

By then, my relationship with journalism had changed.

I was no longer interested only in reporting events.

I wanted communication to become an instrument for citizenship, accountability, human rights, and sustainable development.

When advocacy became bigger than journalism

As my work expanded, opportunities began appearing beyond Ghana.

In October 2020, I was featured in the International Business Woman Magazine in Ukraine for work connected to promoting women's rights following the COVID-19 lockdown.

That same year, I placed fourth in the Africans Rising Activism Award in the Movement of the Year category.

In 2021, I received the Peace, Security, and Education Award of the Year at the Africa Early Childhood Education Awards.

I was also recognised by the I Believe Global Women's Empowerment Foundation for promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.

These recognitions reminded me that advocacy does not belong inside one profession.

Journalism.

Human rights.

Gender justice.

Peacebuilding.

Community education.

They all began connecting.

That realisation became central to my work through Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), the organisation I founded.

Our work grew across child protection, women's rights, gender justice, environmental and land rights, climate justice, migration, civic participation, and sustainable livelihoods.

The mission remained simple.

Use media and advocacy to help communities become visible.

The year everything accelerated

The year 2023 changed the scale of my journey.

I received the Africa Peace Advocate Award presented to me by the International Association of World Peace Advocate (IAWPA)

I became a finalist for the African Human Rights Defenders Shield Awards presented by AfricanDefenders, the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network based in Kampala, Uganda.

 But one recognition stands out because it represented years of community work.

Through HRRG's nationwide KTT Project—Kidnapping, Teenage Pregnancy, and Tramadol/Drug Abuse Sensitisation Campaign—we received the prestigious 5th UN Global Entreps Award for Best International Practice on Sustainability.

The project had reached more than 60,000 people.

When I learned that the competition had assessed 1,912 projects from 126 countries and regions, the recognition felt bigger than an award.

It became proof that grassroots advocacy matters.

Community education matters.

Strategic communication matters.

The KTT Project reminded me that meaningful impact does not always begin in large institutions.

Sometimes it begins with ordinary people choosing to solve real problems.

Recognition kept coming—but so did responsibility

In 2024, I received the Global Doctoral Humanitarian and Ministerial Excellence Award.

I also received an Honorary Doctorate in Executive Leadership in Humanity from the International Kingdom University in Florida.

Being named among Ghana's 100 Most Impactful Changemakers was another humbling moment.

The World Bank's acknowledgement of my contribution to the EQOSOGI Report became another reminder that advocacy can reach spaces I never imagined years earlier.

Yet something unexpected was happening.

The more recognition came, the less I thought about collecting awards.

Instead, I kept thinking about the people whose work rarely gets recognised.

The community organiser.

The journalist working quietly.

The human rights defender risking everything.

The civil society leader creating change without headlines.

That question stayed with me.

What if recognition itself could become a form of advocacy?

The birth of the HRRG Global RightsShield Awards

That question eventually became the HRRG Global RightsShield Awards.

In 2026, I moved from being an award recipient to becoming a convener of recognition.

The vision was never simply to present plaques.

It was to build a platform capable of identifying impact, documenting contributions, and celebrating people whose work deserves greater visibility.

The inaugural awards found a continental platform in Abuja, Nigeria, during the 3rd Africa High-Level Civil Society AML/CFT Conference.

The initiative had originally been conceived alongside RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia.

Although circumstances changed, the significance of recognising the selected honourees remained unchanged.

The awards therefore became more than a ceremony.

They became the beginning of an institutional commitment.

Looking around that room in Abuja, I realised something deeply personal.

Ten years earlier, I had stood on a university stage receiving recognition.

Now I was helping create a stage for others.

What ten years have taught me

When I look back, I no longer see a list of awards.

I see lessons.

From student journalism.

To migration reporting.

To sustainable development.

To peace advocacy.

To international recognition.

To building institutions.

Every stage taught me something different.

Every recognition carried responsibility.

Through HRRG, I have continued working across human rights, child protection, women's rights, climate justice, migration, civic participation, and sustainable livelihoods because I believe media and advocacy can genuinely strengthen society.

The Global RightsShield Awards has become a natural extension of that belief.

It is about telling stories.

Documenting impact.

Recognising courage.

Celebrating service.

And inspiring future changemakers.

Why recognition should never be the destination

The biggest lesson these ten years have taught me is this:

Recognition should never become the destination.

An award validates work already done.

Its greater value lies in what it inspires someone to do next.

Every recognition I have received has challenged me to keep serving.

To keep advocating.

To keep creating opportunities for others.

If there is one thing, I hope people take away from this journey, it is that success is not measured only by the number of awards we receive.

It is measured by what we build with the credibility those awards create.

The next chapter

Today, I am still learning.

Still growing.

Still serving.

The student who once stood on a university campus receiving recognition has become someone trying to create recognition for others.

The journey has come full circle.

From receiving recognition to recognising others.

From receiving a platform to creating one.

From personal achievement to collective impact.

If the next ten years achieve anything greater than the last ten, I hope it will not simply be because my name appears on more awards.

I hope it will be because more human rights defenders are celebrated.

More journalists are encouraged.

More advocates are amplified.

More institutions are recognised for changing lives.

And more young people realise that one moment of encouragement can become the beginning of a lifelong mission.