Ismail Akwei is a digital media and communications professional, international journalist, media manager and trainer, editor and writer with over a decade’s experience working with multinational media companies across Africa.
He is the Editor-in-Chief of the AfricaWeb group comprising GhanaWeb.com, CamerounWeb.com, TanzaniaWeb.com and MyNigeria.com. He was formerly the editor of the New York-based Pan-African online portal, Face2FaceAfrica.com; and a senior journalist and television presenter at Africanews, a subsidiary of France-based Euronews.
As a journalist for over a decade, starting from Ghana’s Information Services Department (ISD), the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and the University of Ghana’s campus radio station, Radio Univers, Ismail Akwei has garnered immense experience in all roles and facets of the media from reporter to editor-in-chief.
In his previous role as editor at GhanaWeb, he helped the online platform maintain its top position in Ghana. With that experience, he became the pioneering editor of CamerounWeb.com which he nurtured to its current position as the topmost news site in Cameroon.
Ismail Akwei accepted a challenge and moved to the Republic of Congo where he developed an online strategy as a pioneering journalist for the newly launched Africanews. He got the new bilingual brand to be accepted continent-wide, especially in Anglophone countries. He was also the pioneering presenter of Sci-Tech, a science and technology segment on Africanews TV’s flagship morning show, The Morning Call.
Face2Face Africa became the premier source of Pan-African history and culture stories as soon as Ismail Akwei joined the company as editor after leaving his senior journalist role at Africanews towards the end of 2017. He led its team of diverse writers to retell the African story from the African perspective. His innovative strategy gave the brand a competitive edge over other Pan-African news and culture websites.
Ismail Akwei is an impeccable leader, planner, coordinator and executioner who motivates his team to overcome challenges and achieve goals. He is committed to transforming the African media landscape into a global and competitive brand that will be well-positioned to change the African narrative and project Africa’s positive image and that of its global diaspora.
Ismail Akwei is passionate about encouraging young people to develop their talents. He founded the Junior Journalists and Communicators Club (J2C2) in Ghana to help students build a career in the media. He is also a member of the Zongo Inspiration Team (ZIT), a non-profit organisation that mentors underprivileged youth from underserved communities in Ghana to become responsible adults.
He has written extensively on a wide range of national and international events bordering diverse fields. His areas of interest include international politics; arts, culture and tourism; human rights; Pan-Africanism; digital technology; history; and international relations.
Ismail Akwei has spoken on several panels and made presentations on topics including digital journalism, media freedom, fake news and blogging, among others. In 2019, he was a panellist at the Media Foundation for West Africa’s WAMECA 2019 and a recurrent speaker at the annual Ghana Bloggers Summit.
He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Media Management from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ); a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Ghana; and a Diploma in Communication Studies from the African University College of Communications (AUCC).
Ismail Akwei is a member of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Online News Association (ONA).
In the nearly 30 episodes recorded since its launch in June 2021, The Lowdown has featured guests including MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; former presidential aspirant Hassan Ayariga; activist Ernesto Yeboah; Minister of Public Enterprises, Joseph Cudjoe; spokesperson of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu; former journalist and diplomat Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Harruna Attah, veteran actor Ekow Blankson and business mogul and economist Dr Kofi Amoah among other personalities.
The Lowdown airs on GhanaWeb TV every Monday and concurrently on YouTube and Facebook. GhanaWeb TV is an advertising-based video on demand (AVOD) and streaming television on Ghana’s most popular website distributing video content such as news and programmes to millions of people over the internet.
With 5 million views a month, GhanaWeb TV offers 24-hour innovative, relevant, authentic and compelling content on GhanaWeb’s digital channels which can be watched on any device, anytime and anywhere.
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Ismail Akwei is the host of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV