By Emma Elebeke

A Nigerian new media outlet, the NaijaAgroNet has emerged winner of the 2011 edition of the Highway Africa conference which ended recently in the city of Cape Town, South Africa.

DSA was honoured for the innovative use of new media for corporate category at this year’s Highway Africa New Media Award, which held penultimate Sunday night.

The prize was presented to the Executive Director, Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku in the company of the Vice Chancellor of Rhodes University, Grahamstown, Dr. Saleem Badat and Group Executive Director, Telkom, Mrs. Brenda Kali.

Commenting on the award, the minister commended the management of DSA for the initiative and invited more Nigerians to emulate such step to sustain the tempo of good image for the nation.

Responding, the Executive Director, Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, expressed gratitude to God Almighty for his mercies, especially considering the fact that NaijaAgroNet was an initiative that berthed a few months ago.

AWARD: From left, Mr. Remmy Nweke who stood-in for African Interest Online, Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, Mrs. Toyin of African Athletes Online and the Executive Director, Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke who received the prize for NaijaAgroNet at the 2011 SABC-Telkom-Highway Africa New Media Award, which held in Cape Town, South Africa recently.

This award, she said, indicates there is a brighter future for online revolution in the most populous nation on the continent and the world generally.

The event which held at the Cape Town International Conference Centre (CICC), also saw Nigeria emerging finalists in all the three categories, namely the individual, student and corporate at the award supported by the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), and Telkom South Africa.

Other Nigerian-based initiatives that made it to the finalist included African Interest and Africa Athletes; all are online based outfits.

Welcoming participants to the event earlier, Director, Highway Africa, Mr. Chris Kabwato said that his team is now morphing into a distinct entity called the Highway Africa Centre, with the support of Rhodes University, its parent entity, the School of Journalism and Media Studies, sponsors and great team to take Highway Africa to another level.

“Celebrate with us; comrades and friends and I hope our timely conference will be an occasion for learning, sharing and taking action to save our world, especially with the theme of this year: African Media and the Global Sustainability Challenge.

NaijaAgroNet is a project of DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA) Media with concentration on bridging the digital gap between the teeming youths of Nigeria, technologies and agro-business.