Friday, April 12, 2013

AUCC founder wins PR Personality of the Year 2012 Award

The Founder of UNESCO-ranked centre of excellence in media studies in Africa, the African University College of Communications (AUCC) Mr. Kojo Yankah, has won the Public Relations Practitioner of the year 2012 Award at the Excellence Awards and Presidential Ball organized by the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) Ghana.

The programme, organized on 5th April 2013 was held at the State Banquet Hall in Accra on the theme “IPR at 40: Consolidating the image of Ghana as  a peaceful and democratic Nation.”

The historic award was presented by Ghana’s Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mr. Mahama Ayariga and received on Mr. Yankah’s behalf by his son Mr. Kwesi Yankah.

Reading the citation for the award, the Honorary Secretary of IPR, Mr. Henry Nii Dottey noted “In 2001, he quit politics to establish, first, a marketing communications consultancy, Yankah and Associates and second, the first university college of journalism and communications in Africa. He is the author of six books and coeditor of a book on Marketing Communications and one of the few to publish a textbook on Public relations in Ghana”

In an interview, Mr. Kojo Yankah who is out of the country due to earlier commitments said “I dedicate my award to all those who have confidence in the ability of united Ghanaian professionals to turn round the fortunes of our great country.”

This is the second award that AUCC founder, Kojo Yankah has received within the past year. The first one being   an award presented to him by the World Education Congress in India  in June 2012 for  his Outstanding Contribution to World Education. Previous awards won by Mr. Yankah have included the Langston Hughes, the Davidson Nicol, the Afro-Asian Writers literary awards as well as the  Best Journalist in the North-South Educational Campaign.

Before establishing AUCC in 2002, Mr. Kojo Yankah, was  former editor of Ghana’s widest circulation newspaper, the Daily Graphic, former Director of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, former Minister of State, former President of the Institute of Public Relations and former Member of Parliament of the republic of Ghana.

Dean of Communication Studies of AUCC, Dr. Tina Amakye who was also present at the   awards said "we at AUCC are highly inspired by our Founder who embodies what hard work and perseverance one can achieve. We are continually committed towards ensuring that AUCC continues to empower our students to attain excellence in the communication and business industry.  In this regard, we are indeed proud of our students who also recently won an award jointly with students of  Simmons College in Boston, USA for presenting “the most innovative programming” in college radio at the 72nd Annual Intercollegiate Broadcasting Radio & Webcasting Conference in New York, USA.”

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