AMDF Unveils 2026 Journalist of the Year Finalists, Names Dapo Olorunyomi for Lifetime Achievement Award<\/p>\n
By Zainab Tanimu<\/p>\n
Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria<\/p>\n
The Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) has unveiled the finalists for its 2026 Journalist of the Year Awards, following a rigorous assessment of entries submitted by journalists from across Africa.<\/p>\n
The Foundation also named veteran journalist and media professional, Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, as the recipient of its 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his enduring contributions to journalism, public discourse and ethical reporting across the continent.<\/p>\n
The announcement, contained in a statement issued by the Foundation’s Executive Director, Sekyen Dadik, revealed that the entries were received from nine African countries: Benin, Egypt, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
The selected finalists cut across five categories, with their names arranged alphabetically within each category.<\/p>\n
In the Online Journalism category, the finalists are Hammad Abdulrasheed of Ripples Nigeria; Janefrances Chibundu of TheCable; and Nanji Nandang of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), all from Nigeria.<\/p>\n
For the Print Journalism category, Chima Azubuike and Daniel Ayantoye, both of PUNCH Newspaper, Nigeria, will compete alongside Sisay Sahlu Nigatu of The Reporter, Ethiopia.<\/p>\n
In the Radio Journalism category, Juliet Buna of Crest FM, Nigeria, emerged as the only finalist.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Nana Boakye Dankwah Yiadom of Joy News, Ghana, was the only journalist recommended in the Television Journalism category following the assessment of submissions received.<\/p>\n
However, no finalist was recommended in the Photography category after the evaluation exercise.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the selection process, the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Mr. Joseph Edegbo, Managing Editor of Africa Prime News, commended the quality and diversity of entries received from across the continent.<\/p>\n
He described the exercise as rigorous, explaining that submissions were assessed against established criteria, including development relevance, investigative depth, originality, research and evidence, public-interest value, storytelling, and actual or potential impact.<\/p>\n
Edegbo further explained that the committee focused on the substance of the journalistic works submitted rather than relying solely on applicants’ descriptions of their reports.<\/p>\n
According to him, careful comparisons were also undertaken within each category to identify entries that best demonstrated the principles and values of development journalism.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the selection of Dapo Olorunyomi for the 2026 AMDF Lifetime Achievement Award marks another major highlight of this year’s awards.<\/p>\n
The award recognises veteran journalists and media personalities whose professional careers have made lasting and transformative contributions to development journalism, public discourse and ethical reporting in Africa.<\/p>\n
Unlike the other award categories, the Lifetime Achievement Award is determined exclusively by the AMDF Board, with only one recipient honoured annually.<\/p>\n
The award is presented during the Foundation’s annual Africa Conference on Development Journalism.<\/p>\n
The winners and runners-up in the Journalist of the Year categories, alongside the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award, will be announced at the 10th Africa Conference on Development Journalism scheduled for December 2\u20134, 2026.<\/p>\n
As the continent awaits the final announcement, the recognition of the finalists and the honour bestowed on Olorunyomi underscore the vital role of journalism in promoting accountability, strengthening public discourse and advancing development across Africa.<\/p>\n
The Foundation congratulated all the finalists and expressed appreciation to every journalist who submitted an entry, acknowledging their contributions to development-focused journalism and the pursuit of a more informed society.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AMDF Unveils 2026 Journalist of the Year Finalists, Names Dapo Olorunyomi for Lifetime Achievement Award By Zainab Tanimu Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria The Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) has unveiled the finalists for its 2026 Journalist of the Year Awards, following a rigorous assessment of entries submitted by journalists from across Africa. The Foundation also named […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13020,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\n