The 8th edition of the West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA 2025), an initiative of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), which is being held in Ghana has brought together leading media professionals, policymakers, and technology experts from across the sub-region.
The three-day event, running from October 9 to 11, 2025, is anchored on the crucial theme: “Journalism and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Africa.”
The conference focused on empowering African media to become robust advocates and watchdogs of the continent’s rapidly advancing digital transformation initiatives, with discussions aimed at exploring how journalism can ensure that Digital Public Infrastructure which includes national ID systems, mobile payment gateways, and data platforms remains inclusive, human-rights centered, and serves the greater public good.
In his address at the opening, the Executive Director of the MFWA, Sulemana Braimah, emphasized the vital role of media in shaping the digital age. “Africa’s digital future,” he noted, “depends largely on how well journalists understand and engage with Digital Public Infrastructure, asking the right questions about inclusion, data protection, and financial equity.”
The conference featured high-level speakers and delegates from media, technology, policy, and civil society sectors, deliberating on strategies to bridge the knowledge gap for the public and establish accountability measures for government policies on DPI/DPG (Digital Public Goods).
The climax of WAMECA 2025 will be the prestigious Awards Night on Saturday, October 11, 2025, where outstanding and impactful works of journalism from West Africa will be honoured.
Out of a substantial pool of 793 entries from 15 West African countries, the MFWA has shortlisted 26 finalists. These journalists, representing publications and broadcasters from Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone countries, were selected following a rigorous assessment by a distinguished four-member jury.
The finalists are competing for top honours across nine categories, including: DPI/DPGs Reporting, Investigative Reporting, Human Rights Reporting, Anti-Corruption Reporting, Environmental Reporting, Extractive Sector Reporting, Telecoms and ICTs Reporting, Reporting on Illicit Financial Flows and Women Empowerment Reporting.
Winners of the various categories will receive plaques, certificates, and cash prizes, with one journalist also being crowned the ultimate West Africa Journalist of the Year. The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, and is expected to be graced by media stakeholders, diplomats, and regional delegates.
Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
