Manasseh Azure Awuni challenges Accra FM over “defamatory” broadcast

Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has strongly refuted allegations made against him during a discussion on Accra FM, describing the remarks as false, inciting, and damaging to his reputation.

In a detailed response posted on social media on Tuesday (17 March), Awuni accused a panellist, Samuel Huntor, of spreading misinformation about his work and attempting to turn people in northern Ghana against him during a live broadcast.

The controversy stems from comments suggesting that Awuni’s investigative work on the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) was politically motivated and targeted at northerners. Huntor reportedly claimed that the journalist did not conduct a thorough investigation and merely relied on a brief visit to a guinea fowl project site.

Awuni, however, dismissed the claims as “completely false,” clarifying that his SADA investigation was conducted and published in 2014—two years before a separate trip he made to Burkina Faso in 2016 for an unrelated story.

He further rejected assertions that the guinea fowl project under SADA was operational, insisting that the joint venture company meant to execute the project never became functional. According to him, SADA paid GH¢15 million into the project, while its private sector partner failed to contribute its share.

“The guinea fowl production and marketing never took place,” Awuni stated, adding that all project sites he visited across the SADA zone were incomplete and abandoned.

He also cited findings from the Auditor-General’s report, which he said corroborated his investigation and recommended the retrieval of funds spent on the failed projects.

On the controversial tree planting initiative, Awuni challenged claims that 85% of the trees survived, describing such figures as inaccurate. He revealed that even a report presented by the University for Development Studies was rejected by SADA’s board for being “too good to be true.”

Awuni further alleged that existing vegetation, including shea trees, was cleared in some areas to make way for new planting that ultimately failed, questioning the rationale behind awarding the contract to a construction firm with no prior experience in afforestation.

Beyond disputing the factual claims, the journalist expressed concern about the tone of the Accra FM discussion, accusing the station of allowing defamatory comments and incitement to air unchecked.

“This is part of a sustained campaign to paint me as someone who hates northerners,” Awuni said, maintaining that his work has consistently been in the national interest and not targeted at any group.

The development adds to ongoing tensions around media accountability and the safety of journalists, particularly those engaged in high-profile investigative reporting in Ghana.