Ugandan journalist Blanshe Musinguzi wins African investigative journalist of the year award

Blanshe Musinguzi won top honours. Source: AIJC

Great investigative research

Musinguzi who writes for Africa Report did an investigation called How Congo Trees are smuggled through East Africa which looked into the smuggling of precious Congolese hardwoods through East Africa.

“It’s a story featuring great investigative research on the ground, persistence and courage in a dangerous part of our continent, as well as profound reporting. It is also an accessible and well written report, an often-overlooked component of journalism,” said convenor of judges Gwen Lister at the gala awards ceremony.

The investigation follows the illicit processing and export of valuable timber from its origin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to different countries around the world.

US-based MDIF exits Mail & Guardian, sells to local shareholders

31 Oct 2024

The second-place award went to a team of Ghanaian journalists—Manasseh Azure Awuni, Adwoa Adobea-Owusu, and Evans Aziamor-Mensah—for their investigative series, The GH₵ 3 Billion Lie, which exposed the creation of fraudulent companies designed to divert taxpayer funds in Ghana's oil sector.

Prize-winning work

“Judges were impressed by the depth of research, strong sourcing, and meticulous editing of the series,” said award judge Lister, adding that this year’s entries set a particularly high standard.

The third-place prize was awarded to Hennie van Vuuren for The Russian Doll series, produced for Open Secrets and published in Daily Maverick. The story, praised for its courageous and thorough investigative work, examined the assassination of South African Colonel Frans Mathipa and the mysterious arrival of the Russian vessel Lady R at Simon’s Town, South Africa.

“As we celebrate the best among us and acknowledge their challenges and fortitude in producing prize-winning work, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge all of you who have made your way to Wits University for these awards,” said director of the Wits Centre for Journalism, Dr Dinesh Balliah.