Alfred Olufemi has emerged winner of the 2023 African Prize for Investigative Journalism (PAJI) in the print category on April 26, 2023, in Dakar, Senegal.
He receives a gold award and a cash prize of one million West African CFA.
The annual event, launched in 2021, was designed to encourage and honour exemplary investigative journalism across Africa.
His winning entry was an exposé published in Punch Newspaper, detailing the uncontrolled release of toxic chemicals into a river in Oyo state, Nigeria, which significantly disrupted the ecosystem of neighbouring communities.
This groundbreaking investigation exposed the hazardous repercussions of the chemical spill and illuminated the state government’s delayed response and the corporate entities allegedly accountable for the pollution.
Sadibou Marong, a member of the jury and director of RSF’s West Africa office, commended Olufemi’s meticulous investigative skills, stating:
“He delivered an evidence-based report. It was an extraordinary story due to the diligence and perseverance of the journalist.”
Laurent Correau, another juror and editor-in-chief at Radio France Internationale (RFI), praised Olufemi for transforming a seemingly ordinary event into a major story.
In his acceptance speech, Alfred Olufemi expressed gratitude towards the organisers for recognising the work of investigative journalists in Africa, especially during a time when he faces victimisation for his critiques of influential Nigerian officials.
“This, personally, is an encouragement and inspiration to do more and be better.”
Olufemi also acknowledged the collective efforts of the Punch Investigations, editorial, and video teams in the production of the winning story, saying:
“A lot of people were involved in the production of the story – the editors, page planners, and all. They all deserve the credit. I would like to thank them for their outstanding contributions.”
Olufemi’s accolades include the Campus Journalist Award (CJA) of the Year, the West African Media Excellence Award (WAMECA), the Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) awards for migration reporting, and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) award for investigative journalism and data reporting.
This year’s ceremony was orchestrated by Media & Democracy (M&D) in collaboration with the Senegalese Centre d’Études des Sciences et Techniques de l’Information (CESTI).
