PREMIUM TIMES’ journalist, others shine at Sanlam Awards

PREMIUM TIMES’ journalist, Abdulkareem Mojeed, and two others, have emerged joint winners of the ‘Best Newcomer Award’ at the 2023 Sanlam Financial Journalism Awards held in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday.

Mr Mojeed, Ephraim Modise of TechCabal, and Innocent Muhindo of The Observer, Uganda, were jointly announced winners of the category during the ceremony on Thursday.

The Best Newcomer is one of the three top awards alongside Financial Journalist of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.

Some of Mr Mojeed’s reports considered for this award include SPECIAL REPORT: Climate change worsens plight of Nigeria’s cocoa farmers; SPECIAL REPORT: Nigeria’s oil palm sector struggling as demands surge, and SPECIAL REPORT: No respite for Nigeria’s climate frontline communities as farmers count losses, among others.

“For the first time ever, we actually have joint winners in the best newcomer category,” the organisers said, adding that the journalists showcased great reporting and bright insights in their works.

The award category recognises excellent reporting by a journalist with experience of three or fewer years.

Mr Mojeed was pronounced the winner in absentia as he could not grace the event because he never got his visa from the South African Embassy.

“This recognition on a continental level has reignited my passion to strive for even greater achievements and has further validated the exceptional work we do at PREMIUM TIMES,” he said.

Mr Mojeed extended his appreciation to PREMIUM TIMES, his editors and “mentors, supporters, and our incredible readers.”

“I’m immensely grateful to the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) for consistently providing the necessary resources for journalists to tell impactful stories. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without each and every one of you,” he said.

“It’s a bummer that the South African embassy in Nigeria couldn’t process my visa on time, denying South African citizens the chance to host a winner.”

Sanlam Awards

The Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism has recognised and rewarded exceptional business journalism in Africa since 1974.

This year, the award received a record over 170 entries from 13 African countries, the highest number yet in the competition’s 49-year history.

Nixon Kariithi, chair of the independent judging panel, said: “The quality of entries remains high. It has been most encouraging to see both the high number of entries as well as the complex and topical stories spotlighted by financial journalists across the African continent.”

About Mr Mojeed

Mr Mojeed is on PREMIUM TIMES’ business desk where he specialises in development journalism, covering topics such as agriculture, food security, climate change, and the environment. He is also a media trainer with a speciality in agriculture and climate change.

He has contributed significantly to research on the impact of climate change on women farmers in Ghana and Nigeria. He was in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2022 and 2023 where he provided extensive coverage of the United Nations Conference of the Parties COP27 and 28, respectively.

Since joining PREMIUM TIMES, he has independently published several consequential reports on climate change adaptation, mitigation, financing, land degradation and businesses that have sparked remarkable impacts across the three tiers of government in Nigeria.

Mr Mojeed’s report about the perception of smallholder farmers growing Genetically Modified Crops-GM Crops (Cowpea among others) in Nigeria, was shortlisted for the 2023 True Story award.

He is among five Nigerian journalists that earned grants to tell solution-driven stories for the 2021 Solutions Journalism Network Africa Fellowship. He has also won the Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship of the global environmental news platform, Mongabay.

Earlier this year, Mr Mojeed was the only Nigerian journalist selected for the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) Diversity Fellowship in Philadelphia, United States of America. When he is not working, he likes travelling and enjoys playing and watching football. He has a penchant for books and nature.