How we made it in Africa up for top business media award

How we made it in Africa (www.howwemadeitinafrica.com), the pan-African online business publication, has been selected as one of the three finalists in the Media of the Year category for the Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards 2011.

The Media of the Year category honours a publication that is a comprehensive resource for its audience providing sustained coverage of Africa’s business and economic news, issues and analysis. How we made it in Africa has been nominated together with Reuters and The Africa Report.

“We feel privileged to be recognised in this way,” commented Jaco Maritz, publisher and editor-in-chief of How we made it in Africa. “We are a young publication and this nomination will only motivate us to work harder and bring better stories to our readers. Still, it is good to know that all those nights with only two hours of sleep and unhealthy amounts of coffee did not go unnoticed.”

Initiated by Diageo – a beer and spirits company with brands such as Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff and Gilbeys gin – in 2004, the awards recognises excellence in business journalism about Africa with a view to strengthening and encouraging more coverage within Africa and to increase the continent’s share of voice in the international media.

More than 1220 entries were received from 21 countries across Africa and the rest of the world. A panel of eminent judges will now select the winners of each category, who will be announced at a gala ceremony in London on 30 June 2011.

“These finalists represent those who are leading the way in business reporting on Africa. The shortlisted entrants have gone the extra mile in reporting the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Africa,” said Nick Blazquez, president of Diageo Africa.

“The record-breaking number of entries from across the globe reflects a continued increase in business reporting on Africa, but the type of reports has also indicated a shift in the way that news is being delivered to audiences with many more entrants being online citizen journalists and bloggers making use of new media. With over 1220 entries this year, those shortlisted in their category should be proud of their achievements and contribution to promoting a more accurate understanding of the business environment in Africa,” continued Blazquez.

The finalists are:

MEDIA OF THE YEAR
Reuters
The Africa Report
How we made it in Africa

BEST BUSINESS NEWS STORY
Spending Spree at Presidency, Anthony Osae Brown (BusinessDay, Nigeria)
Business Behind Nigeria Fashion Industry, Keisha Gitari (CNBC Africa, Nigeria)
Conflict between technology and labour poses job security headache, David Mugwe (Business Daily, Kenya)

BEST FINANCE FEATURE
Money Transfer Series, Boniface Mutakha (Citizen Television, Kenya)
The real cost of owning a car, Lizz Gakii Ntonjira (NTV, Kenya)
Why CEOs need to come clean on their pay, Emmanuel Were, Nick Wachira and Cosmas Butunyi (The East African, Kenya)

BEST NEWCOMER
Lee Mwiti Mugambi (Africa Review.com, Kenya)
Clair MacDougall (The Huffington Post, Crikey.com: USA , Australia)
Cynthia Musenya Nyamai (KTN, Kenya)

BEST USE OF NEW MEDIA
Oil city Takoradi, Rob Walker (BBC World Service, UK)
Uprising in Tunisia and Egypt – Lessons for Subsaharan Youth, Jackson Mvunganyi (Voice of America, USA)
On Location: Ishunga, Congo – Market Walk, Tim Freccia (Global Post, USA)

BEST ICT FEATURE
Digital Africa, J.M. Ledgard (Intelligent Life, UK)
Internet, business et amour, Anne Mireille Mbiacob (Le blog de Nzouankeu, Cameroon)
Carbon Free Calling, Mohammed Khan (African Telecoms, South Africa)

BEST AGRIBUSINESS
Is there a Revolution in African Farming?, Charlotte Ashton (BBC, The World Tonight, UK)
If there is Sunshine, There will be Water, Jonathan Kalan (The Star, Kenya)
Turning agriculture into big business, Isaac Masingati (Daily Times, Malawi)

BEST TOURISM
Marrakech, the new star of the Maghreb, Leïla Slimani (The Africa Report, France)
Kenya tour resorts miss out on niche global ecosphere sustainability awards, Wycliffe Muga (Kenya Star, Kenya)
Inside Africa from Zanzibar, Robyn Curnow (CNN, USA)

BEST INFRASTRUCTURE FEATURE
Senegal Airport, Drew Hinshaw (Christian Science Monitor, USA)
South African mining, Edward Cropley (Reuters, South Africa)
Hyacinth problem & Tourism Potential in Nyanza region, James Karani (KTN, Kenya)

BEST BUSINESS FEATURE
In Africa, Brazil takes a different track, David Lewis (Reuters, Global)
Killing a mosquito with a bazooka, Isaac Masingati (Daily Times, Malawi)
A sleeping giant stirs, Eleanor Whitehead (This is Africa, UK)

JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Peter Guest (This is Africa, UK)
Xan Rice (Guardian Observer, UK)
Nicholas Norbrook (The Africa Report, France)
Erin Conway-Smith (The Global Post, USA)

Read the official media release