Enugu State Correspondent of Orient Daily Newspaper in Akwa, Anambra State, Patrick Egwu, has won the second place prize of the 2016 Haller Prize for Development Journalism in Sub Saharan Africa.

Patrick Egwu

Egwu’s winning prize is £1000 for his entry entitled ‘Digital Tech Improving Access to Education in Nigeria’

Tatenda Chitagu of Zimbabwe won the £3000 first prize with the piece entitled ‘Service delivery, accountability just a click away in Zimbabwean City’, while the second runner-up Tinashe Mushakavanhu also of Zimbabwe will get £500 for his entry ‘Africa manufacturing its own hardware: BRCK – Internet in a box’.

According to the organizer, 110 applications were received for the competition from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Somalia, Burundi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia in answer to this year’s topic:
“How best can digital technology empower development in Sub Saharan Africa? And where are the challenges?”

According to a statement by the organisers of the competition, “Articles gave insight on the myriad challenges and opportunities of the Digital Revolution across Africa.

From citizens using WhatsApp to communicate directly with town representatives to make sure infrastructure is improved in real time, to the many opportunities around learning skills and accessing services through digital tech.”

A former freelance reporter for THISDAY Newspaper before joining Orient Daily, Ejike is a 2014 graduate of Mass Communication from University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
Past prize winners have gone on to write articles for the UN; have been short listed for Thomson Reuters awards and been invited to attend African Development Bank conventions of climate change.