Anas Aremeyaw Anas

Anas is a Ghanaian undercover journalist whose work on human trafficking won him the US State Department Hero Award in 2008. In President Barack Obama's 2009 policy address in Ghana, he singled out Anas and commended him as "a courageous journalist who risked his life to report the truth.” Anas has also been recognized with Ghana’s “Best Journalist of the Year Award” as well as “Investigative Journalist of the Year Award” five times in succession. Working undercover since 1999, Anas never shows his face in public. He has utilized his anonymity as a tool in his human rights investigation arsenal. He has won critical acclaim for his work advocating for the right to not be held in human slavery or servitude and to have a decent standard of living in the event of an illness. Anas has gone beyond the duties of a humble scribe and used his background in law to craft stories in print and documentary film that result in judicial and legislative victories. Anas’ investigation in “Mad House” of a Ghanaian psychiatric ward led to a widespread awareness on mental health issues in Ghana and the passage of the Ghana Mental Health Act. His expose of a trafficking ring in “Chinese Sex Mafia” led to three human traffickers receiving a 41-year jail sentence. “Enemies of the Nation,” which uncovered corruption at Ghana’s Tema Harbor, led to the recovery of $200 million in state funds. Anas has been recognized by the Elders – a group of eminent statesmen including Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan and Mary Robinson – with the Every Human Has Rights Award. The Indian Prime Minister has awarded Anas with three gold medals and in 2011 he was recognized for the second time by the European Union. In 2012, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) awarded Anas with the Percy Qoboza Award in honor of the South African columnist. He recently produced five films in the 2011 groundbreaking Africa Investigates series on Al Jazeera. His films are also currently featured on Hulu and Hulu Plus. He is a graduate of the Ghana Institute of Journalism and faculty at the University of Ghana Law School, from where he holds a law degree. Anas is a leading member of the Forum of African Investigative Reporters (FAIR), Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) as well as other notable journalism professional bodies across the world.

Africa, Journalism and Development.

Context matters. Extreme diseases call for extreme remedies.

Going undercover to deal with the problems of a continent, I developed my own role. To name, shame and jail those who abuse power.

Nothing related to soccer.