Print journalists from Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa were awarded top prizes at the CNN Multichoice African Journalist 2005 Awards ceremony, held in Nairobi, Kenya on 27 June. The winners were selected from a total of 630 print and broadcast entries from 40 nations across the African continent.
The award for best print journalist went to Benjamin Joffe-Walt, a freelancer from South Africa, for his article about internally displaced peoples, and the award for best photograph went to Debbie Yazbek from The Star, in South Africa, for her candid shot of Nelson Mandela with his current and former wife, titled: Finding Peace in Retirement.
Ntai Bagshaw, of the Daily Independent in Nigeria, won the Business and Economics Award for his series of work on corruption called: Nigeria’s Quest for Growth: The future is gas! -- Economics of Nigeria’s corruption its incidence, costs and consequences.
Nadia Lamlili, of l’Economiste in Morocco, won the Francophone General Award for her article on migration titled, Quand je serai grand, je veux ętre migrant (When I grow up, I want to be a migrant). As category winners, all received a cash prize and a laptop computer.
Chris Cramer, Managing Director of CNN International and Nolo Letele, CEO of MultiChoice, South Africa, presented the winners with their awards at the ceremony.
Angelo Kinyua, a journalist with KBC television in Kenya, was named winner for all categories, for his documentary on cancer. As top prize, Kinyua will travel to the CNN Center in Atlanta, United States, for a three-week training scholarship, cash prize, a laptop computer and printer.
Murdered Gambian editor Deyda Hydara was posthumously awarded the Press Freedom Award.
Chairperson of the Judging Panel, Joel Kibazo, said: "This year’s entries echo, more than ever, the spirit and diversity of the African continent. Each finalist should be proud in the knowledge that their work represents the best journalism not only in Africa but the world as a whole.