JoyNews’ #NoToGalamsey campaign won the New Media Campaign of the Year for 2025 at Ghana’s 37th Annual National Marketing Performance Awards, held on October 17, 2026, at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra. The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) presented the award in recognition of the campaign’s use of digital platforms to report on illegal mining and its environmental and social effects.
The campaign focused on the damage caused by galamsey, or illegal mining, to water bodies and communities. CIMG’s citation praised the campaign for using digital conversations to expand public engagement on the issue. It said JoyNews employed social audio, podcasts, and cross-platform storytelling to give audiences new ways to interact with the reporting.
“The campaign’s strength lies in using journalism to make an environmental crisis part of everyday public discussion,” CIMG wrote in its citation. The institute noted the campaign brought scientific information, expert views, and citizen participation to audiences through multiple digital channels.
CIMG also recognised the partnerships that helped amplify the campaign’s reach. The judges highlighted its scientific grounding and collaboration with experts, institutions, and citizens. “The campaign linked public-interest journalism with participation by experts, institutions and citizens,” the citation stated.
JoyNews’ #NoToGalamsey campaign has been a major part of Ghana’s conversation about illegal mining. The Multimedia Group, which runs JoyNews, has used its radio, television, and digital platforms to raise awareness about the environmental damage caused by galamsey. The campaign has also scrutinised how government agencies and other duty-bearers respond to the crisis and pushed for action to protect Ghana’s natural resources.
The CIMG award adds to the campaign’s profile as a public-interest media initiative focused on one of Ghana’s pressing environmental challenges. The judges described the campaign as a “resounding success” that impressed the evaluators.
Illegal mining has long caused water pollution and community displacement in Ghana. The #NoToGalamsey campaign has maintained attention on these issues through varied digital formats, including podcasts and social audio, ensuring the conversation reaches a broad audience.
The award ceremony at Labadi Beach Hotel brought together marketers and media professionals to celebrate achievements in marketing and communication. The New Media Campaign of the Year award recognises innovative use of digital tools for public engagement.
JoyNews’ campaign is among the few media initiatives in Ghana that have effectively combined scientific data with journalism and community involvement. It has elevated illegal mining from a niche environmental problem to a topic of national discussion.
The campaign’s digital strategy offered listeners and viewers multiple entry points for engagement, allowing for deeper interaction with the subject matter beyond traditional news reporting. This approach set it apart in the 2025 awards competition.
JoyNews’ #NoToGalamsey campaign will continue to influence public debate on illegal mining. The CIMG recognition confirms the power of well-executed digital journalism in shaping environmental awareness in Ghana.
According to Joy Online.
