The UEMOA Media Platform awarded its Excellence Awards to journalists in Dakar on Thursday, June 25, on the sidelines of the International Forum on Economic Press in West Africa (FIPE-UEMOA). This first distinction honors media professionals whose work contributes to a better understanding of the economic and financial issues facing the community.
The first prize was awarded to Aïcha Fall from the Senegalese media outlet Seneweb. Moustapha Toumbou, also from Seneweb, won the second prize. The third distinction went to Nadège Koffi from Afrique Économie (Ivory Coast).
Through these awards, the platform aims to salute the courage, rigor, and quality of analysis of journalists committed to the truth of the facts. By highlighting these productions, the organization also seeks to strengthen the role of the press in shedding light on public debate and in the citizen appropriation of major regional economic issues.
Open to print media, radio, television, and digital media – including podcasts, data journalism, and online video content – the competition allowed candidates 30 days to submit their work. The winners received prizes of 2,000,000 CFA francs, 1,500,000 CFA francs, and 1,000,000 CFA francs.
The productions were evaluated based on demanding criteria: relevance of the topic, originality, quality of the investigation, fact-checking, clarity of analysis, and mastery of digital and audiovisual formats. The evaluation, scored out of 100 points, was carried out by a jury of seven members from different countries of the Union.
In total, 36 productions from seven of the eight UEMOA countries were submitted, with 24 deemed eligible. Online media dominated participation with 47% of applications, followed by print media (33%), television (14%), and radio (6%).
Launched on April 30, 2026, and closed on May 30, the call for applications was followed by a pre-selection phase from June 2 to 10. The final deliberation and announcement of results took place on June 25 in Dakar.
This initiative is a continuation of the Regional Colloquium on Economic Journalism, held in Abidjan from June 25 to 27, 2025, by the UEMOA Media Platform and the UEMOA Commission. Among the recommendations made was the creation of an award to encourage media professionals to further invest in community economic and financial issues.
