The BBC has begun the search for the next winner of the BBC News Komla Dumor award. The award will be launched at an event in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and will be presented by the BBC’s Salim Kikeke.
Komla Dumor Award 2022 winner Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya will present a discussion for the BBC World Service’s Focus on Africa program on the impact of climate change on Kenya and Tanzania.
Journalists are encouraged to apply for the prestigious award, which seeks to promote and celebrate outstanding journalistic talent living and working in Africa and reporting in English.
As part of the prize, the winner will spend three months working at the BBC with news teams in London on TV, radio and online. They will have the opportunity to further develop their journalistic skills through training, workshops and mentorships with leading BBC journalists. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to travel to a country in Africa to report on a story they generate and research, which will be broadcast to the BBC’s global audience.
Applications close on February 14, 2023 at 23:59 GMT.
Judges on this year’s panel include: Ferial Haffajee, Associate Editor of the Daily Maverick and former Editor-in-Chief of The Mail&Guardian and City Press; Juliet Njeri, head of BBC Africa and Paul Danahar, foreign editor, BBC News
Launched in 2015, the award was created to honor the memory of the distinguished Ghanaian broadcaster Komla Dumor, who presented on BBC Africa and BBC World News. Known for championing robust and dynamic journalism and for his commitment to reporting African stories in a comprehensive and authentic manner, he had a significant impact in Africa and the rest of the world.
The BBC is committed to continuing Komla’s legacy through the award by empowering journalists in Africa to tell original and nuanced African stories to reach international audiences.
Previous BBC World News Komla Dumor Award recipients are: Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya (2022), Victoria Rubadiri (2020), Solomon Serwanjja (2019), Waihiga Mwaura (2018), Amina Yuguda (2017), Didi Akinyelure (2016) and Nancy Kacungira (2015)
During his placement, current Dingindaba Award winner Jonah Buyoya traveled to the Seychelles to report on how the country’s ocean plants can help address climate change. Currently a television presenter and reporter for Diamond Television in Zambia, the 25-year-old Zambian presenter was the youngest recipient of the Komla Dumor Award and the first recipient from southern Africa.
Says Dingindaba, “Komla Dumor was an inspiration to me, so winning the award and being part of her legacy has been an honor. I encourage African journalists to apply for the awards, it’s an amazing way to learn and further develop the skills needed to tell even more innovative stories in Africa.”
Liliane Landor, Senior Controller at BBC News International Services and Director of BBC World Service, says: “We are proud to launch the 2023 BBC News Komla Dumor Award. The award and our previous winners are a fitting testament to Komla’s dedication to storytelling. African with depth and integrity. I am really looking forward to welcoming this year’s winner and I highly encourage journalists from across Africa to apply.”
For more information on the award, including how to apply, entry criteria and terms and conditions, please visit: https://careerssearch.bbc.co.uk/jobs/job/BBC-World-News-Komla-Dumor- Award/65528
