SIGNIS-Africa awards Ben Assorow of the Catholic Standard

SIGNIS-Africa, the continental branch of SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication, has awarded Ben Batabe Assorow and other individuals and organizations (Africans and non-Africans) who have over the years made significant contribution to the growth of SIGNIS-Africa.

The award was conferred on him in recognition of his “wonderful support to the Organisation during your tenure as President of SIGNIS-Africa.”

A short biography of Assorow was read before the conferment of the award as follows:

Apart from having been President of UNDA-Africa (now SIGNIS Africa), he also served on the World Board of SIGNIS. He is a former Director of Communications of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM); before that he was the Executive Secretary of the Department of Social Communications of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC); he also served as a Consultant of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, now known as the Dicastery for Communications, Vatican City.

Assorow had served as Chairman of the Elections Committee of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) for many year. He represented the GJA on different occasions on the Boards of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and the Graphic Communications Group Ltd.

He is an alumnus of The Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) and also did a course on Radio Direction and Production at Hatch End, London; and German Language and International Relations at the University of Vienna, Austria. He had his postgraduate education at the Gregorian University, Rome, Italy

Pope Emeritus Benedict XI made him a Knight in the Papal Knighthood Order of St. Gregory the Great.

Currently, he is the Managing Editor of The Catholic Standard; a member of the National Media Commission (NMC), representing the Christian Religious Groups in Ghana; and a Board Member of the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

In receiving the award, Assorow said “I do with all humility accept the award and in great appreciation and thanks to SIGNIS Africa and the Nomination Committee for finding me worthy for this award; I am most grateful. I dedicate this award to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference; the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM); all those that I have worked with over the years and indeed to my wife and children.”

When the Executive Secretary of the NMC, Mr. George Sarpong, informed members of the NMC of the award, the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Yaw  Boadu Ayeboafoh, sent a congratulatory message to him, which reads:

“Sir Ben, congratulations for making yourself, the nation, media and NMC proud for the award. Such international recognitions are not easy and are only given on merit. Well done for deservingly bringing glory and honour to all of us. We are proud of you.”

Other recipients  of the Award in that category included Rev. Fr. Bernardo Suarte, a Mozambican at Vatican Radio; Mr. Alvito d’Souza,  a Kenyan and a former Secretary General of SIGNIS-World Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium; Prof. Linus Pungi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a former President of SIGNIS Africa; and the  Social Communications Office of the Bishops’ Conference of Burkina-Niger.

Post-humus awards in the same category were given to Bishop Moses Hamugole of Zambia and Rev. Monsignor Ralph Madu, former Secretary General of the Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.