Nigerian journalists shine at global AMR media awards

… As top winners emerge at inaugural NAMA awards

…Account for 96 entries, one-quarter of global submissions

By Admin

Nigerian journalists have earned international recognition for their reporting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with several emerging among winners of the Global AMR Media Awards (GAMA) and the inaugural Nigeria AMR Media Awards (NAMA).

At the national level, Kazeem Biriowo of Nigerian Tribune emerged first-prize winner of the maiden NAMA Awards, while Julian Adetinuyo of News Scope Africa came second and Mariam Ile-yemi of Premium Times took third place.

The awards, announced Thursday, November 11, at the 6th Annual Global Media Forum on AMR, recognised journalists whose work has helped bring public attention to antimicrobial resistance, an escalating threat to human and animal health, food security and healthcare systems.

Nigeria's strong showing was reflected in the 96 entries submitted from the country for the GAMA and inaugural NAMA awards, representing one-quarter of all submissions. Organisers also commended NAMA for its performance across the award categories.

Other Nigerian journalists recognised in the NAMA special mention category include Folashade Akpan of the News Agency of Nigeria; Chioma Obinna of Vanguard; Helen Oji Emmanuel of Blueprint; Fatima Saka of DistinctNews; Chinyere Okorafor of Nigeria Health Times; Laide Akinboade of Daily Asset; and Odimmegwa John Peter of New Africa Horizon.

The three top NAMA winners will receive certificates and cash prizes, with financial support from Art for Health Initiative, a Nigerian non-profit organisation.

Nigeria also recorded notable successes in the global competition. In the category for reporting on the 5th High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR, Annabel Nwachukwu of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria emerged first-prize winner, followed by Edward Samuel Ikpete of Voice of Nigeria in second place and Doris Obinna of The Sun in third place. Alice Etuka of The Fact Daily received a special mention.

In the People's Reporting category, Isioma Appiah-Yeboah of Clean Beat Radio won first prize, while Princess Ekwi-Ajide of Anambra Broadcasting Service, Smith Nwokocha of Port Harcourt Wakawaka Blog and Chioma Vivian James of True Verdict received special mentions.

Patience Ihejirika of Leadership newspaper and Benedict Ifeanyi Chukwu of Kaftan TV also earned special mentions in the Africa category of the GAMA awards.

Speaking after the announcement, Founding Chairperson of the Nigeria AMR Media Alliance, Ojoma Akor, described the inaugural NAMA awards as a significant milestone for health and science journalism in Nigeria, noting that antimicrobial resistance had not received the sustained newsroom attention its public health implications demanded.

She said the awards went beyond celebrating individual journalists to demonstrate how reporting could make an often-invisible public health threat visible, translate complex scientific evidence into accessible information, amplify affected communities and hold institutions accountable.

“For too long, antimicrobial resistance has received insufficient attention in our newsrooms, despite its enormous implications for public health, healthcare delivery, food security and national development,” Akor said.

She congratulated the winners and nominees, saying their work demonstrated the capacity of Nigerian journalists to shape public understanding and strengthen the country's response to drug-resistant infections.

Akor said NAMA would continue to build journalists' capacity, encourage investigative and solutions-oriented reporting and ensure that AMR remained a sustained public interest issue.

Also speaking, Founder of Art for Health Initiative, Chidera Rosecamille Aneke, said the organisation supported the awards because antimicrobial resistance was one of its focal areas.

She said the initiative works at the intersection of storytelling, media and the arts to improve public understanding and encourage action on critical health challenges.

She said the partnership was intended to promote innovative storytelling and elevate impactful, solutions-driven journalism that communicates AMR in ways ordinary audiences can understand.

At the global level, Chairperson of the Global AMR Media Alliance, Shobha Shukla, congratulated Nigerian journalists and credited Akor, as founding chairperson of the Nigerian chapter, with helping to draw attention to the dangers of antimicrobial resistance and strengthen media engagement in the country's response.

Shukla stressed that AMR was not merely a medical or scientific problem but a broader societal and development challenge requiring action beyond laboratories and hospitals.

“We cannot win the fight against AMR in laboratories and hospitals alone. We need an informed public, accountable governments, and responsible practices across human, animal, and environmental health,” she said.

She urged journalists to move beyond treating AMR as another health news subject and help build a wider public movement for responsible antimicrobial use and stronger health systems.

The recognition comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with the challenge of drug-resistant infections, which threaten the effectiveness of medicines used to treat common illnesses and complicate routine medical procedures, surgery and other essential healthcare interventions.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites develop the ability to withstand medicines that previously killed them or stopped their growth, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of severe illness and death.

Nigeria has taken steps to address the threat through its National Action Plan on AMR, surveillance programmes, antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control measures, and collaboration across human, animal and environmental health under the One Health approach.

However, gaps in public awareness, policy implementation, financing, research and communication continue to pose challenges to an effective national response.

Akor urged government agencies, development partners, health professionals, researchers and civil society organisations to strengthen engagement with journalists and support independent, evidence-based reporting on AMR.

She said NAMA would continue working with government institutions, research organisations, professional associations, development partners and media organisations to improve journalists' capacity to explain the threat and hold relevant institutions accountable.

The inaugural NAMA awards provide a national platform for recognising Nigerian journalists while linking their work to the wider international movement for stronger media engagement against antimicrobial resistance.