Nigerian journalists sweep AISI award-05

THE annual African Information Society Initiative (AISI) media awards for 2005 have been swept by group of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) journalists in the country, snatching four out of the eight categories in the continental contest.

ITrealms gathered that four ICT journalists from Nigeria have distinguished themselves at this year's edition of the awards, which commenced in 2003 with four main categories subdivided into eight categories with first and runner-ups.

ITrealms calls back that at inception, a Nigerian-based ICT magazine, IT&Telecom Digest clinched the award by emerging a winner, and in 2004, another medium, Technology Times online and Mr. Abiola Tokunbo also took possession at two different categories.

This year, an ICT medium and three journalists, namely Bayero Agabi of African Independent Television (AIT), Remmy Nweke of Champion Newspapers Limited, Godfrey Ikhemuemhe of Vanguard Newspapers and Ade Ojo of NewAge Newspapers, took their turn to represent the nation in AISI awards at various categories yet to be disclosed.

The 2005 awardees would join their colleagues at this year's Highway Africa conference holding at the Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa, where the presentation has been slated to hold on Tuesday, September 13 at the Guy Berger Auditorium.

AISI is organized as an outreach programme of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) based in Addis Ababa, to encourage more informed coverage of the information society and ICT for development issues on the continent.

Aimed at individual journalists and media institutions in Africa, the awards promote journalism that contributes to a better understanding of the information society in Africa.