Stephanie Wangari of Kenya and Annie Zulu of Zambia are the 2026 winners of the Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling for their reporting that captures both the promise and the peril facing African communities today.
Three winners of the ICFJ Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling, supported by ICFJ reporting grants, will investigate the growing threats to press freedom and democracy across Africa. Their reports will examine how challenges ranging from AI-enabled surveillance to coordinated online attacks against journalists are impacting African societies.
Applications for the Open the Knowledge Journalism Awards (OTKJA) are now open.
Presented by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, the Open the Knowledge Awards recognize African journalists whose reporting helps close knowledge gaps about Africa on Wikipedia.
Kemi Busari is a journalist and editor at DUBAWA, a fact-checking outlet focused on West Africa. He covers West Africa, disinformation and media literacy. He’s a 2024 winner of the Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling.
Busari reflects upon his experiences with ICFJ and why the organization’s work must continue. “For years, ICFJ has been at the forefront of supporting these journalists through funding, training, mentorship, fellowships, and institutional backing. Several of my colleagues have directly benefited from these programs,” he says.
In 2025, one of Busari’s mentees at DUBAWA won the Elliott Award with a story Busari edited. “This is a clear testament to the lasting impact of the experience ICFJ provided,” he says.
Originally, from Nigeria. Busari divides his time between Abuja and Maryland.
Reporters, sign language interpreters and other community members have forged a network in Uganda that is countering misinformation in the deaf community, as part of a project supported by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and led by journalist Willy Chowoo.
Many questions remain unanswered following the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the former head of Russia’s Wagner Group who was killed when his plane crashed in August. Among them: What does it mean for the mercenary group in Africa, whose activities are helping to fund the war in Ukraine?
The site, which features learning resources, health reporting best practices and a vibrant network of more than 200 journalists and experts, launched during the recent 2013 African Media Leaders Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The International Center for Journalists is pleased to announce the Sputnik Kilambi Award for Social Justice Reporting. The award is established in honor of Sputnik Kilambi, a journalist and media trainer with a passionate commitment to reporting on local and global issues of development and social justice. She passed away on July 8, 2013.
Media coverage of health issues can break down barriers to better information about health, resulting in improved services and care. During her Knight International Journalism Fellowship, Zarina Geloo trained journalists to produce higher-quality stories and launched a health segment in the Times of Zambia.
Fact-checking the media, drone journalism and journalists' security were among the topics on the minds of more than 500 innovators vying for startup capital to disrupt African media.
The African News Innovation Challenge will provide US$12,500-US$100,000 to about 20 startups.
