The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has expressed utter shock to the news of the sudden death of ace broadcast journalist, Kwadwo Asare Baffour Acheampong, popularly known as KABA.
He was the host of the afternoon political talk show, “Ekosi Sen” on
Asempa FM, an Accra-based station on Adom FM and Adom TV.
KABA was reported to have died in the early hours of Saturday, November 18, 2017, at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, in Accra, after a short illness.
A statement signed by Mr Kofi Yeboah, the General Secretary of the GJA, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said KABA was a very astute broadcast journalist whose popular political programme helped to expand the frontiers of freedom of expression and also deepened the country’s fledgling democracy.
"He was very open-minded and fair to all persons who featured on his programmes, a unique disposition that endeared him to participants and listeners, irrespective of their political, social, religious and ethnic orientation,” it said. "Upon hearing the shocking demise of KABA, the GJA immediately dispatched a national executive member to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in the early hour of that fateful day to confirm the story.
"Later on Saturday, the GJA’s representative was also at the residence of KABA to commiserate with the family and also participate in a meeting between the Management of the Multimedia Group and the bereaved family to discuss plans for the one week celebration of our departed brother.
"Indeed, the death of KABA is a big blow to the Multimedia Group, the GJA and Ghana as a whole.
"It is in such sense of irredeemable loss that the GJA expresses its deepest condolences to the bereaved family, especially his wife, Valentina Ofori Afriyie and little daughter, Nana Yaa, as well as the entire Multimedia family”.
The Association pledged its continuous support to the organisation of the funeral of KABA in order to give him a befitting burial. "There is no doubt that KABA has paid his dues to journalism in Ghana and served his country so well,” it said.
“The GJA believes his death is only divine. And so in this grieving moment, and in utmost solemnity and sobriety, the GJA calls on all friends, families and loved ones to reflect on the good works of KABA in order to take a cue from them, rather than allow the pain of loss to overwhelm their thoughts and utterances."