OFAB Media Awards unveils Africa’s best journalists in biotechnology

Tanzanian broadcast journalist, Calvin Gwabara, working with Sokoine University of Agriculture Media, emerged the winner under television category and the overall winner of the 2018 Open Forum on Agricultural biotechnology in Africa (OFAB) Africa Media Awards.

The Awards, organized in collaboration with OFAB and National Agricultural Research Institute of Burkina Faso (INERA), were held at Silmande Hotel in Ouagadougou, Bukina Faso.

OFAB Media Awards is aimed at recognizing exemplary journalism that promote best practices in science reporting with emphasis on agriculture biotechnology through responsible, professional, ethical and effective reporting.

The OFAB Africa Media Awards is an annual award sponsored by African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) through its Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB) project.

The chief guest during the award ceremony, Remy Dandjinou, Burkina Faso Minister for Communication, congratulated AATF and its partners for the initiative in recognizing and rewarding journalists and for promoting agricultural technologies for sustainable agriculture that improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Africa.

Dr Denis Kyetere, Executive Director, AATF speaking during the Awards gala dinner noted that AATF is proud to celebrate journalists and the critical role the media play in promoting evidence-based reporting on agricultural biotechnology.

“We believe that journalists have a vital role to play in promoting awareness and the adoption of agriculture biotechnologies, which can greatly improve Africa’s chance of improving food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and economies of the African countries”, he said.

Brian Okinda, a Kenyan print journalist, with Daily Nation, was the winner under the Print and Online Category while Philip Tengzu, a broadcast journalist from Ghana working with Radio Mak was the best journalist for the Radio Category.

Other winners included; Auguste Jean-Yves Nebie of Burkina Faso, Mr Philip Keitany of Kenya, and Frank Ojufo from Nigeria emerged first runner ups in the Print an Online, Television and Radio Categories respectively.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *