Recently updated on October 24th, 2022 at 03:01 pm
Winners have emerged at the 2020 Pan African Re/Insurance Journalism Awards championed by Continental Re Plc – its fifth year awards.
The winners were announced on May 27 [2020], at a virtual awards ceremony following travel restrictions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 Pan African Re/Insurance Journalism Awards ceremony was scheduled to take place during the Continental Re’s 7th CEO Summit in Morocco, but for the pandemic.
According to a press statement by Alexandra MacLaine, Media Relations Executive, International|Autofutures: a DMA company, journalists across Africa are being honoured through the Pan African Re/Insurance Journalism Awards.
According to the press statement:
“In the fifth edition of these prestigious awards, five winners were picked from 77 entries that were submitted by business reporters from 15 French and English-countries under the four categories: Best re/insurance Print Article, Best re/insurance Online Article, Best re/insurance Broadcast Article and Best re/insurance French Article – print/online/broadcast.”
Journalists from Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Francophone countries topped the list.
The award for the Best re/insurance Broadcast Article [English category] went to Destiny Onyemihia (Voice of Nigeria, Nigeria) for his story, “Sustaining businesses through cyber insurance”, which explores how businesses can sustain their operations in the midst of the rising cyber threats and attacks in the country.
Isaac Khisa (The Independent, Uganda), emerged the Best re/insurance Print Article [English category]. His story, titled “Across Sub-Saharan Africa, tech-enabled micro-insurance is the next big thing”, which describes how insurance firms can leverage the growing mobile phone subscription to extend insurance services to the low-income earners who are, in most cases, not catered for under the current conventional insurance services.
David Njagi, a freelance journalist from Kenya, bagged the award for the Best re/insurance Online Article [English category] for his feature “Voice of resilience: Kenyan radio builds herders’ trust in drought insurance”, which was published in Thomson Reuters. The story focuses on how a community-based radio is helping Northern Kenya understand and learn how to benefit from Islamic weather insurance (Takaful).
Joel Assoko (Jeune Afrique Media Group, France) emerged the winner for the Best re/insurance French Article – print/online/broadcast. In his story, ‘‘La guerre des assureurs aura bien lieu’’ (Original French title of the article that could be translated as ‘Indeed, the War among Insurers will take place’). Joel explains about a profession, which is not well known or understood in Africa, and is usually mentioned only in critical and negative situations. Yet, it is still a vital pillar for African economies, one that can promote balanced growth and ensure a better future. The aim was to allow the general public get more familiar with the crucial changes occurring within the industry.
The Future Talent Award was won by Dominic Omondi (The Standard Group, Kenya) for his inspiring article titled “How doctors are dragging medical insurers to early grave” that addresses the issue of perverse incentives, and how insurance companies in Kenya have sunk into losses as healthcare providers inflate their charges. This award was recommended by the judges to recognise the outstanding entry among the four categories. It replaces the existing pan-African re/insurance Journalist of the Year Award.
The “Future Talent Award was recommended by the judges to recognise the outstanding entry among the four categories. It replaces the existing pan-African re/insurance Journalist of the Year Award.
*This news was first copy-edited by Courage Iroegbute on the 4th of June, 2020 and was last modified by Toju Micheal Ogbe on the 4th of June, 2020.
