JoySports journalist and UniMAC–IJ student, Joseph Ayinga-Walter, has secured 5th place globally and 3rd in Africa in the Young Reporters Writing category at the 2024 AIPS Sport Media Awards, held in Rabat, Morocco.
His feature, “From Riches to Rags: The Story of Eric Agyemang, Former Ghana Premier League Star,” earned international acclaim for its depth and social impact.
The story traced the downfall and eventual redemption of former Berekum Chelsea midfielder Eric Agyemang, who was living in an uncompleted building and battling alcoholism.
Since its publication, Agyemang has received widespread support, reconnected with former teammates, and now holds a stable job at Sapholda Ventures.
Ayinga-Walter’s top-five finish places him among the world’s most promising young sports journalists, after beating out hundreds of entries in a category that drew over 1,890 submissions from around the globe.
His final ranking followed a rigorous three-stage judging process overseen by the AIPS Executive Committee.
Meanwhile, Muftawu Nabila Abdulai placed 8th in the Best Column writing category at the 2024 AIPS Sport Media Awards for his investigative piece on Ghana’s 2022 FIFA World Cup finances.
His article, titled “2022 World Cup: GFA declares $7.9m prize money instead of $9m”, scrutinises the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) public disclosure of Ghana’s prize money from the Qatar World Cup.
The column exposes inconsistencies between FIFA’s officially stated $9 million prize allocation for group-stage exits and the GFA’s reported figure of $7.9 million, raising questions around transparency and accountability in the management of national football finances.
This is Muftawu’s third career top-10 finish at the AIPS Awards having previously finished second, third, and fourth, solidifying his standing among Africa’s elite sports media professionals.
His inclusion continues a strong tradition of Ghanaian excellence on the global stage of sports journalism.
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