Ten years ago, Dr. Joseph Kobla Wemakor was a young journalism student standing on a university stage, receiving recognition for his influence as a student media professional.
Today, he stands on a different kind of stage — not as a recipient, but as the founder of a platform seeking to recognise people and institutions creating impact in human rights, democracy, peace, justice, and social development.
The journey from receiving an award in 2016 to creating an international human rights recognition platform in 2026 represents more than a decade of personal achievement.
It is a story of how recognition can evolve into responsibility, and how the experience of being recognised can inspire one to create opportunities for others to be seen, heard, and celebrated.
That is the story behind Dr. Wemakor’s journey and the emergence of the HRRG Global RightsShield Awards.
Where it all began
On April 1, 2016, at the maiden edition of the Campus Clique Awards held at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), 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 then Minister of Transport, Hon Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey.
For a young journalism student, the recognition was significant.
But what appeared at the time to be simply an award for student achievement would eventually become the first major milestone in a decade-long journey spanning journalism, human rights advocacy, development communication, and civic engagement.
The award did not end the journey. It helped define it.
From student journalism to national recognition
In 2018, Wemakor won the National Media Competition on Migration Reporting, organised by Media Response with support from FMM West Africa, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the European Union, and Ghana’s Ministry of Information.
The award was presented by Albert Kofi Owusu, then General Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
The recognition reinforced his growing interest in using journalism not merely to report events but to draw public attention to social and development challenges.
A year later, he emerged as a winner of the GIJ 60th Anniversary Media Contest.
The competition was held on the theme: “The Role of Media in Promoting Effective Citizen Participation for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals.”
Wemakor won with a print report focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The award was presented by Professor Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, then Rector of GIJ, during the institution’s Anniversary Grand Durbar on October 16, 2019.
By then, his professional interests had begun moving beyond conventional journalism.
Media was becoming a vehicle for something broader — citizenship, human rights, sustainable development and social change.
When advocacy became the bigger mission
That transition became more evident in the years that followed.
In October 2020, Wemakor was featured in the International Business Woman Magazine, based in Ukraine, in connection with efforts to promote women’s rights following the COVID-19 lockdown.
In 2021, he received the Honorary Award for Peace, Security, and Education of the Year at the maiden edition of the Africa Early Childhood Awards (AECEA).
His work through Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), which he founded and leads, increasingly brought together journalism, public education, civic engagement, and human rights advocacy.
The objective was clear: use communication and advocacy to draw attention to issues affecting vulnerable people and communities.
2023: A year that changed the scale of recognition
The year 2023 became a particularly significant chapter.
Wemakor received 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 fourth edition of the African Human Rights Defenders Shield Awards, presented by AfricanDefenders, the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network based in Kampala, Uganda.
But another recognition that year stood out for the scale of the project behind it.
Through HRRG’s nationwide KTT Project — the Kidnapping, Teenage Pregnancy and Tramadol/Drug Abuse Sensitisation Campaign — Wemakor received the prestigious 5th UN Global Entreps Award for Best International Practice on Sustainability.
The project had reached more than 60,000 people through community sensitisation, public education and advocacy.
The award was conferred in Costa Rica by Entreps — International Board of Global Actors and Business for Sustainability in partnership with the UN75.
According to the award documentation, the global competition 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.
For HRRG, the recognition provided international visibility for a model of grassroots advocacy that combined public education, strategic communication, and community engagement.
For Wemakor, it was another indication that media and advocacy could produce measurable social impact.
Recognition continued in 2024
The momentum continued into 2024.
Wemakor received the Global Doctoral, Humanitarian and Ministerial Excellence Award for his contribution to human rights advocacy and social impact.
He also received an Honorary Doctorate in Executive Leadership in Humanity from the International Kingdom University in Margate, Florida, USA.
He was subsequently named among Ghana’s 100 Most Impactful Changemakers in 2024.
Another notable recognition came through the World Bank, where he was acknowledged for his expert contribution to the second edition of the Equality of Opportunity for Sexual and Gender Minorities (EQOSOGI) Report.
Collectively, the recognitions reflected an expanding body of work covering human rights, media, gender justice, civic participation, peace, sustainable development, and community advocacy.
But somewhere along the way, the meaning of recognition began to change.
When the question became, “What about others?”
Awards can validate a person’s work.
They can provide visibility, credibility, and encouragement.
But they can also raise a bigger question: What happens when recognition is used to amplify the work of others?
For Wemakor, that question became increasingly important.
After spending years receiving recognition for his own work, he began looking beyond the award itself — towards the people whose contributions often go unnoticed despite their impact on communities and society.
That thinking helped inspire the creation of the HRRG Global RightsShield Awards in 2026.
From award recipient to award founder
The significance of the Global RightsShield Awards lies in the transformation it represents.
The student media professional who once stood before an audience to receive an award is now creating a platform designed to place others in the spotlight.
As Founder and Convener of the Global RightsShield Awards, Wemakor is seeking to build an international recognition platform for individuals, institutions, civil society organisations, human rights defenders, journalists, advocates, public officials, and other actors whose work contributes to human rights, democracy, peace, justice, and social progress.
The idea is not simply to distribute awards.
It is to identify impact, document contributions, and tell stories that deserve greater visibility.
In that sense, the initiative represents a transition from recipient to convener, from being recognised to recognising others, and from personal achievement to institutional legacy.
A decade that came full circle
Looking back from 2026, the journey that began with the Campus Clique Awards in 2016 appears remarkably circular.
In 2016, Wemakor was being recognised for his influence as a student media professional.
In the years that followed, journalism became advocacy. Advocacy became community engagement. Community engagement produced measurable impact. That impact attracted national and international recognition.
And the recognition eventually created a new idea: build a platform through which others could also receive visibility for the work they are doing.
Through HRRG, Wemakor has worked 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 an extension of that broader philosophy.
It is about recognising people who protect rights.
It is about amplifying advocates who speak for communities.
It is about celebrating institutions making a difference.
It is about documenting social impact.
And, ultimately, it is about inspiring a new generation of changemakers.
Recognition should lead to responsibility
Perhaps the most important lesson in Wemakor’s decade-long journey is that recognition does not have to be the destination.
An award can acknowledge what someone has already accomplished.
But its greater value may lie in what that recognition inspires the recipient to do next.
For Wemakor, the accumulated recognition appears to have strengthened rather than diminished his sense of responsibility.
Every award became another platform.
Every honour became an opportunity to do more.
Every recognition became a reminder that public service and social impact matter.
And now, ten years after his first major student media recognition, he is attempting to create a platform that gives others the opportunity to experience that same visibility.
From 2016 to 2026 — and beyond
The story is therefore no longer simply about how many awards Dr Joseph Kobla Wemakor has received.
It is about what he has done with the experience.
A young student who was once recognised for his work has become an advocate, media professional, development communicator, and institution-builder.
More importantly, he is now seeking to build 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 can see examples of people using their skills and platforms to serve humanity.
Ten years after being recognised in 2016, Wemakor is now creating a platform to recognise others in 2026.
The journey has come full circle — from receiving a platform to creating one, from personal recognition to collective recognition, and from being celebrated for impact to helping shine a light on those creating impact.
The real test of that journey, perhaps, will not be the number of awards attached to his name, but the number of lives, causes, advocates, and changemakers whose stories the platform he created helps bring to the world’s attention.
Continue using AI Cursor?Keep it onTurn Off
