The 3rd edition of the JoyNews Impact Makers Awards, held on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at the Ecobank Head Office, concluded with the celebration of 10 extraordinary Ghanaians who are making profound differences in their communities.

While each awardee was recognised for their significant contributions across various critical fields, Raymond Senyo Amezado emerged as the overall winner for his outstanding work in social impact and nonprofit development.

The event, a brainchild of JoyNews, a subsidiary of the Multimedia Group, aims to identify and honour individuals whose impactful efforts often go unseen, demonstrating that local actions can indeed shape national progress.

READ ALSO: Photos from 3rd edition of JoyNews Impact Makers Awards

The awards celebrated individuals transforming communities through health, education, science, social justice, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives.

Here are the profiles of the 10 unsung heroes and heroines celebrated at the 2025 JoyNews Impact Makers Awards:

Raymond Senyo Amezado, an Army veteran, returned to Ghana to tackle poverty through the Fafali Organisation.

Fafali reaches over 4,000 children annually through after-school education, STEM programmes, sports coaching, and scholarships. These community initiatives have led to a doubling of high school enrolment, an 80% reduction in teenage pregnancy, and the introduction of hundreds of youths to technology and sports—including producing Ghana’s top-ranked female golfer in its focus areas.

These areas include Kissehman, Anumle, Christian Village, Achimota College, Golf Hills, Dome, Alogboshie, West Legon, and Pillar Two.

Raymond funds the initiatives through international volunteer donations, global student exchanges, and private affiliations. Under his leadership, Fafali continues to crush barriers to opportunity and equity.

Akua Sarpong oversees Lifeline for Childhood Cancer Ghana (LCCG), which supports over 2,000 families in diagnostics, treatment, and psychosocial care.

In 2023 alone, 505 families received transport support, 324 children received treatment, and 527 accessed diagnostics. The LCCG is also building an Oncology Centre at Korle Bu with 40 beds to increase accessibility.

Akua's motivation was triggered by gaps in childhood cancer care. Her funding framework brings together local mobilisation and worldwide support, collaborating with international partners such as St. Jude’s and World Child Cancer. For childhood cancer, through LCCG, Akua is making healthcare at the national level its priority.

Geoffrey Kwame Buta is a seasoned photojournalist and Northern Regional Manager of the New Times Corporation. For over a decade, he has personally supported community development through his Foto4Change initiative—donating books and supplies across Ghana and East Africa and building a three-unit classroom block and office for Zagyuri Anglican School, benefiting over 600 students.

His flagship programme, Foto4Change Visual Storytelling for the Deaf (FVSD), empowers hearing-impaired children by teaching them photography as a tool for self-expression and career exploration.

With less than 2% of global media featuring deaf voices, Geoffrey’s work promotes inclusion and access in the arts and education. His efforts are redefining equity in creative education.

Eric Boadi Sampong began his teaching career in 2012 and later assumed leadership at Atta ne Atta D/A Primary School, where he revived a collapsing institution.

He increased enrolment from 13 to over 100 students and established a Junior High School with a 100% BECE pass rate for three consecutive years.

His infrastructure projects include a three-unit classroom block, a 14-bedroom teacher bungalow, and a mechanised borehole serving both the school and the surrounding community.

Inspired by the belief that education can transform communities, Eric funds his work through grassroots mobilisation, award recognition, and partnerships. His creative and empathetic approach has earned both national and international accolades, reinforcing his commitment to educational equity.

Williams Akongbabre is an educator and creative arts advocate who has equipped thousands of students and teachers with quality learning resources.

His “Action Packs” and Creative Arts textbooks—endorsed by the Upper West Regional Education Office—have filled critical curriculum gaps.

His self-teaching guides have made Creative Arts accessible to educators and students across Ghana.

His work is inspired by years spent supporting vulnerable children.

Williams funds his programmes through Relcaso Ghana, Willi-Gif Arts, and local educational bodies.

Profits from his creative ventures are reinvested into community development, creating a sustainable model that blends education, enterprise, and impact.

Osei Boateng, founder of OKB Hope Foundation, is expanding access to preventive and primary healthcare in underserved communities.

His mobile medical unit has reached 80 villages and 10 prisons, delivering free screenings, diagnoses, and treatments to over 10,000 people.

He also founded Wohohiame Wellness, a mental health initiative offering counselling, wellness clubs, and an AI-powered mental health assistant called HeyAkua.

Raised on a farm and trained in health administration, Osei is motivated by personal experiences. He funds his work through grants, partnerships, and individual donors.

His goal is to build a proactive healthcare system where no one is excluded due to income or location.

PORTIA DUMBA

Portia Dumba empowers rural women and youth through enterprise and education. Her foundation – ‘Podu Care’ – trains women in shea butter processing and helps young girls lead community initiatives tackling teenage pregnancy and school dropout.

Her partnership with Sisters Keepers International through the B-GILD (Black Girls in the Lead) programme saw 13 girls from her district selected among 35 others globally.

She began with personal funding and now relies on strategic partnerships to scale her work. She also promotes business coaching for women and innovation in sustainable fuel alternatives, like Shea Cake, to reduce charcoal use.

Portia also runs a basic school where she is the headmistress in the Savanna Region. The school is to afford the less privileged children in her community a chance at education.   

Her motivation comes from her early teaching days in deprived areas.

BENNETT ASANTE NKRUMAH

Bennett Asante Nkrumah runs a tuition-free school and charity home in Susuanso, Ahafo Region, called Generation Hope International School.

His initiative serves 137 students and accommodates 65 children, providing uniforms, meals, and materials for children from remote areas, orphans, and children of mentally ill or teenage parents.

Motivated by a belief in equal opportunity, Bennett funds the initiative through private donors and local support.

His work not only addresses education and malnutrition but also strengthens community resilience by employing local staff and promoting a culture of learning and care.

DANIEL NKRUMAH

Daniel Nkrumah is the Founder and Chief Steward of the FOPIC Foundation, which has impacted over 140,000 people across Ghana’s most neglected communities.

FOPIC has delivered clean water to over 30,000 individuals, distributed clothing to more than 100,000, and supported over 10,000 orphans.

His outreach extends to leprosariums, prisons, and schools for the blind, with each intervention focused on restoring dignity.

Motivated by a spiritual sense of duty, Daniel funds his work through private donations and grassroots fundraising. FOPIC’s motto, “Making Life Count, Now & Forever”, embodies its commitment to practical and transformative compassion, turning neglect into dignity across Ghana.

JOSEPH TETTEY AFANGBE

Joseph Tettey Afangbe is the Founder and Executive Director of Young Visionary Leaders Ghana, a youth-led non-profit advancing clean water, education, health, and gender equality.

Through the Water for Ghana Project, he has provided clean water to over 130,000 people across five regions by installing mechanised boreholes in communities and schools.

These interventions have reduced disease, improved menstrual hygiene, and raised school attendance, especially for girls.

Inspired by his own childhood in a community with poor water access, Joseph now serves as Co-Chair of the Ghana CSOs Platform on the SDGs. His projects are funded by global partners such as Walking for Water and LoveSpring, as well as civil society collaborations. His work combines direct service with national advocacy to secure sustainable and inclusive access to essential services.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.