Four Nigerian journalists have emerged among other Africans in the final list of the prestigious CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2008 Competition.
They include Lucas Ajanaku, Tell Magazine, Deji Badmus, Channels Television, Emmanuel Mayah, Sun Newspaper, and Godwin Nnanna, BusinessDay.
Mr. Azubuike Ishiekwene, chairperson of the independent judging panel, said the competition, now in its 13th year, received a record number of 1912 entries from 44 countries across Africa, including French and Portuguese speaking countries.
The winners of the competition will be announced at a gala awards ceremony schedule to hold in The State Banquet Hall, Osu, Accra , Ghana on Saturday 19th July.
The hosts for the evening will be CNN correspondent Zain Verjee, joined on stage by popular Nigerian TV personality and talk show host, Soni Irabor.
According to Ishiekwene ‘I have followed the CNN MultiChoice Awards for the past four years and watched them grow steadily to become the gold standard of excellence in journalism awards on the African continent, especially for young professionals who want to make a difference. Increasingly, the entries are speaking to the continent’s needs, and the echoes are far-reaching’.
The competition is held in partnership with MultiChoice, and in collaboration with The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The prestigious sponsors include: Celtel; Coca-Cola Africa; Ecobank; Ghana Tourist Board; Holiday Inn Accra; IPP Media, Tanzania; MIH Print Africa; Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD); Safebond Africa Ltd; Global Media Alliance and Camerapix.
Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director of CNN International said that there is a healthy increase in entries each year for the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards from a diverse array of countries across the continent. "The quality and excellence of the work submitted continues to rise year on year, ensuring that the 2008 competition maintains its place as the most prestigious Pan African Awards for journalists," he said.
Eben Greyling, Chief executive officer, MultiChoice Africa said the awards have become the standard for excellence for pan-African media. "Our investment underlines MultiChoice Africa’s active commitment to the development of an effective and valuable media in the continent. We are proud to be associated with the oldest and most diverse journalism awards on the continent," he added.
The CNN African Journalist of the Year Award was founded in 1995 by Edward Boateng, formerly African Regional Director for Turner Broadcasting System Inc., CNN’s parent company and the late Mohamed Amin, to recognise and encourage excellence in journalism throughout Africa.