The AWIM Conference 2019 is one event that cannot be forgotten in a hurry. From its dream destination of Kenya, Nairobi to the amazing crop of speakers, partners, facilitators and panelists, many players in media left with a renewed vigour to make a difference locally and internationally.

The second edition of the AWIM awards which introduced a new award for courage celebrated 6 outstanding storytellers, 5 of whom stood out at the pitch zone. The conference kicked off with the posthumous award in memory of Hodan Nanalyeh, the late Somali-Canadian journalist who lost her life in the Al-Shabab attack. She was honoured for her courage and passion for changing narratives. She is credited with producing stories that portrayed the human side of Somalia via her Integration TV channel on Youtube. This award was received by Mr. Mukhtar Ogle from the Executive Office of the Presidency, Kenya for Hodan TV Canada.

THE SELECTION PROCESS

The other five awardees were part of the AWIM pitch zone having booked their slots months before. They were assessed by representatives of two partnering organizations namely: The GIZ which sponsored 4 awards and the IOM which sponsored 1 award. All the pitches were conducted privately with the main focus on stories that mirrored the AGENDA 2063 of the African Union in 5 major categories named after some of its key programs namely: Women and free trade, Free trade sustainability, Free trade migration, Silencing the guns and Free movement of people in Africa.

As a reward for their hard work and for the production of these significant stories, all five winners received a plaque of recognition and $2000 each,

Here are the winners of the coveted awards and grant:

• Winner, Women and Free Trade category: Vicensia Fuko is a Tanzanian journalist, lawyer and activist who is passionate about press freedom. Read more about her career journey and the story that won her the award for this category here.
• Winner, Free Trade Sustainability category: Zahara Tunda is no stranger to winning as her track records show. A Tanzanian data journalist, WHO Road Safety Media fellow and Code for Africa Instructor, Zahara is known for writing stories backed up with data. Learn more about this high flyer and her winning story here.
• Winner, Free Trade Migration category: Christabel Ligami is a Kenyan journalist par excellence. Her winning story addresses the opportunities the African Continental Free Trade Area presents. You can read about her here.
• Winner, Silencing The Guns category: Mary Mwendaa is a freelance journalist in Kenya. She pitched a story about the role of women in conflict resolution and won in this category.
• Winner, African Passport and Free Movement of People in Africa category: Culton Scovia is a young Ugandan journalist and videographer who reports like she was born to. Read more about her winning story here.

The awards and plaques of excellence were presented to the winners by top officials of the African Union who charged women in media to take their place in the Africa of the future.