IWPR Journalist Shortlisted for Amnesty International Award

An IWPR journalist has been shortlisted for the prestigious Amnesty Media Awards 2025 for his story on a controversial mining deal in his southeastern Ghana hometown.

Philip Teye Agbove, 26, documented how local media and community activists fought back against corporate power and state security forces in a struggle for control over West Africa’s largest salt deposit.

Ghana: How Local Media Defied Pressure Over Vast Mine Deal explored how a concession for commercial salt production impacted economic survival and cultural heritage in the Ada Foah community.

Agbove started his career as an intern at Radio Ada, a local volunteer-run station which faced pressure for its reporting on the deal, and used his experience there as the basis for the story.

“This nomination is an encouragement to continue pursuing journalism that holds power to account and gives voice to the voiceless and not the one that continuously sings praises of the powerful while the vulnerable continue to perish,” he said, adding that it was “not just a personal milestone but also a testament to the importance of the stories we have worked on together at IWPR and all IWPR work on the globe”.

The Amnesty International awards, which celebrate outstanding human rights journalism, span ten categories with pieces selected from over 200 entries by an internal panel of experts.

Agbove was shortlisted for the Gaby Rado Award for New Journalists, a category which recognises those at the beginning of their careers.

“This shortlist represents the very best of human rights journalism from the last year, across a broad range of global human rights issues from a variety of outlets,” organisers said in a statement.

“At a time when journalism has never been more important, Amnesty International UK is delighted to honour the brilliant and brave work of journalists who use their voices and platforms to speak truth to power and shine a light on injustice around the world – often while putting their own lives at risk.”

The winners will be announced at a live-streamed ceremony at a central London venue on June 4 2025.

Agbove produced the story as part of  IWPR’s Voices for Change, Africa project, which has supported a wide range of campaigns and reports in areas including high-level corruption, gender-based violence and police brutality.

Other stories supported by the project include an investigation into militancy in Mali that appeared in Foreign Affairs and a story on media freedom in Ethiopia published by the International Centre for Journalists.