The West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA) 2025 received 793 entries after the call for applications ended on May 21. The entries were submitted by journalists from over 600 media outlets across 15 West African countries. This overwhelming response marks a strong return for West Africa’s biggest and most prestigious journalism event after a break in 2024.
The call for entries, which opened on April 15, invited submissions of journalistic works published between January 1 and December 31, 2024. The extension of the deadline by one week allowed for more entries and reflected the awards’ commitment to inclusivity and reach.
Entries were received across nine award categories, including Human Rights Reporting, Environmental Reporting, Investigative Journalism, Women Empowerment Reporting, and Digital Public Infrastructure/Digital Public Goods Reporting. Others include Anti-Corruption, Extractive Sector, Telecoms & ICT, and Illicit Financial Flows.
Nigeria emerged as the country with the highest number of submissions (335 entries) comprising 42% of the total. Ghana followed with 101 entries, while Burkina Faso submitted 92 entries. Twenty-one entries were received from Mali, while Niger recorded 4 entries. The remaining 10 countries in the subregion recorded a total of 230 entries.
Beginning in June, a jury of seasoned editors and media professionals will evaluate the entries and produce a shortlist. The shortlisted finalists will be announced in the first week of September 2025, setting the stage for the awards night during the three-day WAMECA event.
WAMECA 2025 will take place from October 9 to 11 in Accra, Ghana, under the theme “Journalism and Digital Public Infrastructure in Africa.” The Conference will come off on the first two days, October 9 and 10. The Awards event will be held on the final day, October 11, 2025.
The winners for the various categories, including the West African Journalist of the Year, will be announced at the Awards event.
About WAMECA
The Media Foundation for West Africa launched the West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA) in 2017 to promote media excellence in West Africa. The Conference has consistently brought together more than 300 journalists, editors, media experts, human rights defenders, and other stakeholders from across Africa and beyond to deliberate on pertinent issues and also celebrate media excellence.
Since its inception, WAMECA has awarded over 60 journalists across West Africa in various categories. Past recipients of the overall best West African journalist category include Seth Kwame Boateng (Ghana), Manasseh Azure Awuni (Ghana), Samad Uthman (Nigeria), Kwetey Nartey (Ghana), Sama Tounwendsida Hugues Richard (Burkina Faso), Tessy Igomu (Nigeria), and Muhamed Akinyemi (Nigeria).
As WAMECA 2025 approaches, the high volume and diverse range of entries reaffirm the critical role of journalism in defending democracy, advancing public discourse, and amplifying voices across Africa.
