Ms Muniratu Akweley Issah, a Chief Reporter at the Ghana News Agency (GNA), has picked up two awards at the Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards ceremony in Accra. Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, First Lady of Ghana, and the Chief Executive of the Merck Foundation presented the awards to Ms Issah and 20 other journalists from the online, print, radio, and multimedia categories. The award was to recognise journalists whose work and contributions have impacted society, created awareness, and helped to shape the narrative on infertility, girls' education, Female Genital Mutilation, Diabetes, and Hypertension. It was in partnership with Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who is an ambassador of the Merck Foundation's 'More than a Mother' campaign. The Merck Foundation media recognition awards and sponsorship programme is a partnership programme with African first ladies across the continent. Ms Issah won third place in the online category for 2022 with her insightful feature on 'Diabetes and Hypertension,' aimed at promot ing a healthy lifestyle and raising awareness about prevention and early detection of the condition. The award-winning story 'More Ghanaian Children Live with Type II Diabetes: A Matter of Concern (https://gna.org.gh/2022/10/more-ghanaian-children-live-with-type-ii-diabetes-a-matter-of-concern/) was to bring to the fore the dangers of the disease, which was increasing among children, and promote a healthy lifestyle among the younger generation. She was also adjudged the second-place winner in the 2023 edition with her article, Hypertension on the Rise: Adopting Healthier Healthy Lifestyle Will Make a Difference. Hypertension on the rise; Adopting healthier lifestyles will make a difference She was presented with two medals and two certificates each for the 2022 and 2023 awards. The GNA multiple award winner expressed gratitude to the First Lady and the Merck Foundation for the recognition, noting that it was an encouragement for her to work hard and make an impact in society. Dr Rasha Kelej, the Chief E xecutive of the Merck Foundation and President of the 'More than a Mother' campaign congratulated the awardees and urged them to do more and impact their society positively. 'You should not stop by winning this award; I encourage all of you to be the voice of the voiceless and change the narrative in society,' she urged. Source: Ghana News Agency