CJID reveals finalists for 2026 Journalism Awards

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has shared the final list of nominees for its annual Excellence in Media Awards. These awards celebrate outstanding journalism in West Africa.

This year’s awards, the third since 2024, received a huge number of entries. A total of 424 entries came from 277 journalists in the region. This is a 54.2 percent jump from the 275 entries received in 2025. Entries came from nine countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, and Benin.

The entries went through initial screening, where the top five in each of the eight categories were selected. A group of independent judges, made up of respected journalists from the region, then looked closely at these top five entries.

Hannah Ajakaiye, the founding editor of FactsMatter NG, led the judging panel. Other judges included Maxime Domegni, an award-winning journalist and the Francophone Africa Editor for the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN); Ajibola Amzat, Africa Editor at the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ); Kent Mensah, Chief Ghana correspondent for The Africa Report; Manasseh Awuni, an award-winning investigative journalist and editor; and Amaka Okoye, the Bureau Chief for Deutsche Welle’s (DW) Studio Lagos, Nigeria.

Each judge reviewed the top entries in each category on their own. They looked at accuracy, fairness, originality, depth of research, quality of writing, public significance, and adherence to ethical standards. After this, the panel picked the finalists by finding entries that combined great storytelling with solid reporting.

The stories ranged from uncovering illegal rosewood cartels crossing borders to revealing cross-border gold exploitation and shared health crises in the region. The entries show how newsrooms are collaborating to tackle serious issues in West Africa.

Finalists for the 2026 CJID Awards

The eight categories with finalists include: Health reporting, Community reporting, Human Rights reporting, Social Accountability, Climate Change reporting, Solutions Journalism, Fact-Checking, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

Here are the finalists:

• Death in detention: Suspected killings in Ghana’s police custody, Edmund Agyemang Boateng (Media Foundation for West Africa, MFWA)
• FUOYE lecturer ‘rapes’ student, then passes her details to colleague to ‘speak One-on-One’, Sodeeq Atanda (Foundation for Investigative Journalism, FIJ)
• Inside Nigeria’s criminal rosewood economy, Al’amin Umar and Saduwo Banyawa (HumAngle Media)
• From smoke to safety: How a Kano community built its own lifeline for mothers, Victor Christopher (Nigeria Info / Arewa Radio)
• Inside the multi-million-dollar Gambia gov’t venture that made the president’s nephew a major food importer, Mustapha K. Darboe (The Republic)
• The lottery bonanza, Seth J. Bokpe, William Nlanjerbor Jalulah, and Philip Teye Agbove (Media Foundation for West Africa, MFWA)
• The Hausa Telegram Network selling child sexual abuse material, Al’amin Umar (HumAngle Media)
• Leukaemia: Last chance abroad: Agony of Ghanaians diagnosed with blood cancer, Emmanuel Dzivenu (Joy News)
• INVESTIGATION: Despite being illegal, endangered grey parrots sold openly on Nigeria’s social media, e-commerce platforms, Janefrances Chibundu (The Cable)
• The gold slaves of the Sahel, Abdullah Tijani (The Liberalist)
• Exposing how website uses unverifiable experts and unsupported claims to market unregistered prostatitis product, Emmanuel Oluwadola (Roundcheck)
• The pothole fillers of Adamawa and Gombe highway, Saduwo Banyawa (HumAngle Media)
• Loan clubs help farmers save money and forests, Tina S. Mehnpaine (Daily Observer Newspaper)
• INVESTIGATION: Lead In Their Blood: How battery recyclers are poisoning Nigerians, Oladeinde Olawoyin and Folashade Ogunrinde (Premium Times)
• Solar solutions, Shereefdeen Ahmad (The Liberalist)
• Disinformation: Three TikTok videos spread false statements attributed to Emmanuel Macron about Africa (French), Amenan Maria Eduige Kouakou (Influence Mag)
• Jilli: Investigating the market airstrike, Atsahyel Aaron (Daily Trust / Trust TV)

Hannah praised the quality of the entries this year, saying the shortlists deserved their selection. "This year’s entries showed particular strength in reporting on social accountability, the environment, and human rights," she said.

She added, "We also saw a better understanding of solutions journalism, especially in stories about how people tackled problems and what the evidence showed about the outcomes. There is still room for improvement in fact-checking and in covering sexual and gender-based violence."

The jury decided not to pick a winner for the Editor of the Year category because there were not enough submissions that met the award's standards.

The finalists will be honoured at the CJID Awards ceremony on Wednesday, November 25, 2026, at the Abuja Continental Hotel, during the Media and Development Conference. The winner and runner-up in each category will be revealed at the ceremony.

Dapo Olorunyomi, CEO of CJID, congratulated the finalists. He also thanked journalists from all over West Africa who submitted entries.

"Every year, these awards remind us of the important work journalists do in our region, often facing tough conditions and limited resources. The stories this year show the courage, persistence, and public service that support journalism in West Africa. We congratulate all the finalists and thank all who submitted their work. We also appreciate the independent jury for their time and effort in the selection process."

The 2026 Excellence in Media Awards are backed by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Abuja and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. CJID thanks them for their ongoing support for journalism, public accountability, and independent media in West Africa.