The Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) unveiled the winners of the 2025 Africa Science Journalism Awards. The announcement was made during the just-concluded 13th World Conference of Science Journalists in Pretoria, South Africa, marking the event's first-ever African host. Now in its second phase, the awards seek to honour journalists whose reporting strengthens public understanding of science and combats misinformation across the continent.

“These awards recognize more than excellence. We celebrate the vital forces behind it,” stated Dr. Evelyn Gitau, Chief Scientific Officer, SFA Foundation. “The courage to investigate, the persistence to verify, and the creativity to translate —these are the qualities our finalists exemplified. Each winner has used their talent not just to report, but to ignite public curiosity, safeguard factual discourse, and demonstrate that science is not locked away in institutions. It is a living, breathing part of Africa's daily life and future.”

The work of the awardees of the 2025 cycle represented the growing standard of science journalism, selected by a panel of renowned African science journalists and editors through a rigorous review process. Chosen from a strong pool of finalists, these winners were recognised for their investigative depth, scientific accuracy, public relevance, and clear storytelling. Presented across three categories, the awards also reflect SFA Foundation's commitment to advancing equity and diversity in the field.

The judges identified a strong concentration of health and environmental stories among the 2025 submissions. This focus reflects the continent’s urgent challenges in areas like public health, biodiversity loss, and climate resilience. However, they identified a noticeable gap in coverage of other scientific fields.

“Science journalism must go beyond the familiar. Don’t be afraid to explore and report on other scientific fields,” said Paul Adepoju, award-winning Nigerian scientist-turned-journalist and communications specialist. He called on journalists to diversify their skills and intentionally immerse themselves in spaces where scientists from underrepresented disciplines work. This would be the way to accurately and confidently report on the sciences that receive disproportionately less coverage.

Speaking to the evolving landscape of African science journalism, the judges called on journalists to consider incorporating multimedia into their storytelling, especially when working on long-form stories, and celebrated increased participation of women entries.

“We were encouraged to see a clear upward trend in the number of women submitting entries this year. This signals a growing diversity of voices shaping Africa’s science narratives,” added Roselyne Sachiti, Day Editor, Weekly Publications, Zimpapers.

The relevance and demand for ASJA’s continuation was reinforced during the ceremony, with journalists in attendance championing increased capacity strengthening and mentoring of early-career science journalists. This feedback will inform the refinement of the next phase, with a focus on enhancing accessibility, strengthening category descriptions, and fostering wider participation across diverse scientific disciplines.

Event mages can be viewed here

For media inquiries, contact Natasha Kiiru: [email protected]

Notes To Editors

About the African Science Journalism Awards (ASJA)

Established in 2023, the Africa Science Journalism Awards (ASJA) is an initiative of the Science for Africa Foundation that celebrates outstanding science reporting across the continent. The awards recognise excellence in science, health, climate, environment, and agriculture journalism, strengthening public understanding of science and elevating African storytellers shaping the continent’s research and innovation narrative.

About the SFA Foundation

The SFA Foundation is a pan-African, non-profit, and public charity organisation that supports, strengthens, and promotes science and innovation in Africa. The SFA Foundation serves the African research ecosystem by funding excellent ideas in research and innovation, enabling interdisciplinary collaborations, and building and reinforcing environments that are conducive for scientists to thrive and produce quality research that generates new, locally relevant knowledge.

About the Winners + Their Articles

Best News Story/Feature 

• Leonie Joubert (South Africa):  Karoo Dust Bowl 
• Scovian Lillian (Kenya): Climate Change is Fuelling Leishmaniasis in Northern Kenya 
• Ibrahim Khalilulahi Usman (Ghana): Eroding homes: Ghana’s Disappearing Coastal Communities 

Best Story/Feature: Honourable Mentions 

• Demis Tareke (Ethiopia): A New Dawn for Lake Tana and the Mighty Nile 
• Kebba Jeffang (The Gambia): How Foreign Subsidies are Undermining West Africa’s Fishers 
• Innocent Kiiza (Uganda): Vulnerable Under the Sun: How Climate Change and Tax Policies Deepen the Struggles of Children with Albinism in Uganda 

Early Career Journalist 

• Abdulrasheed Hammad (Nigeria): Inside Sokoto Factories Producing Contaminated Sachet Water 

Additional Quotes

Scovian Lillian, winner in the Best Story/Feature category

“As an ASJA 2025 winner, I feel truly seen. I appreciate that ASJA is giving science journalists across the continent a platform to showcase their work and recognising us for our efforts. It has been a wonderful experience; both at the award ceremony and within the wider conference community.”

Leonie Joubert, winner in the Best Story/Feature category

“This award really matters because African science journalists and storytellers must fight incredibly hard to get our stories and voices into the global discourse. This is a powerful way of recognising each other’s authority as thought leaders on our continent. It is a career highlight for me, and I am deeply honoured.”

For media inquiries, contact Natasha Kiiru: [email protected]