Journalists Abdourahmane Diallo and Abdou Khadir Cissé were distinguished for their works on climate change adaptation initiatives, security and online sports betting.
By Oumar Dembélé
Abdourahmane Diallo, a young reporter with the African Press Agency (APA), won the first prize of the online press jury of the national competition on the inclusive green economy on Tuesday 11 October.
His report “Senegal: Diofior rice growers smiling again,” featured a town located about 150 kilometres south-west of the Senegalese capital was rewarded by the competition organisers.
In a lively text, illustrated by pictures of smiling women in rice fields, the APA journalist articulated that the desalination of land in the Baboulaye valley has enabled farmers in this central-western locality to be self-sufficient in rice.
This journalistic competition is organised by the Centre d’études des sciences et techniques de l’information (Cesti), the renowned school of journalism at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD), which trained Mr. Diallo, in collaboration with the Partnership for Action on the Green Economy (Page).
The competition sought to “encourage journalists who have produced reports, investigations or dossiers on the green economy” to promote their works.
Abdou Khadir Cissé, WAMECA finalist
While Mr. Diallo won first prize in the National Competition on Inclusive Green Economy, Abdou Khadir Cissé, APA’s editorial coordinator, was nominated among the finalists of the 2022 edition of the prestigious West African Media Awards for Excellence (WAMECA 2022).
There are a total of 25 finalists from eight countries, according to the Media Foundation for West Africa, which organises the competition.
Specialising in jihadist issues, Cissé submitted two articles published on the Senegalese news website Dakaractu, his former employer.
One was an investigative piece about arming jihadists in the Sahel” while the other was on the rise of online betting sites in Senegal such as 1xbet.
The APA journalist drew attention to “the lure of easy gain that mortgages futures and constitutes a security threat” for the country.
“The finalists were selected by a jury of five eminent experts in the African media. These experts selected the best after a thorough review and evaluation of the work submitted by the journalists. This year, 952 entries were received from all 16 West African countries for the Awards of Excellence. These entries were submitted by journalists representing a total of 450 media organisations in the West African region,” said the Media Foundation for West Africa in a statement.
But there is still one last step for Abdou Khadir Cissé to take.
According to the organisers, the winners will be announced at the award ceremony on Saturday 22 October 2022 in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
Media experts, personalities and prominent representatives of some of the major sub-regional organisations and civil society groups will attend the event.
ODL/ac/lb/as/APA