The award honours the legacy of Komla Dumor, a distinguished Ghanaian broadcaster and former BBC World Information presenter, who died instantly aged 41 11 years in the past.
Dumor’s widow, Kwansema Dumor, mentioned she was “proud” of her husband’s influence on the BBC, and in addition mentioned her household had been “grateful to the BBC for remembering him” by means of the prize.
The BBC is encouraging journalists from throughout Africa to use for the prize, which seeks to advertise and have a good time excellent journalistic expertise on the continent.
In addition to receiving coaching, the profitable candidate can have the chance to journey to a rustic in Africa to report on a narrative that they’ve researched, with the report broadcast to the BBC’s international audiences.
Identified for championing sturdy, dynamic journalism, Dumor made a big influence on Africa and the remainder of the world.
The BBC is dedicated to persevering with his legacy by means of the award by empowering journalists from Africa to inform authentic and nuanced African tales to international audiences.
Rukia Bulle from Kenya was final 12 months’s winner.
Throughout her placement, she travelled to a Senegalese village to report on the Baye Fall, an unorthodox Muslim minority who are sometimes misunderstood by others within the wider religion.
Jonathan Munro, BBC Information international director and deputy CEO, mentioned: “We’re proud to launch this 12 months’s BBC Information Komla Dumor award and the seek for the subsequent recipient.
“Marking its tenth anniversary is a testomony to Komla Dumor’s highly effective legacy of reporting on African tales with depth, perception and integrity.
“Previous winners of the award replicate the distinctive expertise throughout the continent so I sit up for welcoming this 12 months’s winner and strongly encourage journalists to use.”
Dumor was the presenter of Concentrate on Africa, the BBC’s first-ever devoted day by day TV information programme in English for African audiences. It was broadcast on BBC World Information, which has now merged with the BBC Information Channel to create a single 24-hour TV information service.
He was additionally one of many lead presenters for BBC World Information’ European morning phase.
He joined the BBC in 2007 after a decade of broadcast journalism in his native Ghana the place he gained the Ghana Journalist of the Yr award.
Between 2007 and 2009 he hosted Community Africa on BBC World Service, earlier than becoming a member of The World At this time programme.
In 2009 Dumor turned the primary host of the African enterprise information programme on BBC World Information, Africa Enterprise Report. He travelled throughout Africa, assembly Africa’s high entrepreneurs and reporting on the most recent enterprise tendencies across the continent. —BBC
