Nigerian journalists win big at global AMR media awards

… Kazeem Biriowo clinches first NAMA prize as Chioma Obinna, others earn special recognition

By Daniel Kudayah

Nigerian journalists have earned international recognition for their contributions to reporting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with several emerging winners at the Global AMR Media Awards (GAMA) and the inaugural Nigeria AMR Media Awards (NAMA).

The awards, announced Thursday at the 6th Global Media Forum on AMR, recognised journalists whose reports have helped draw attention to the growing threat of drug-resistant infections and the urgent need for coordinated action to protect human, animal and environmental health.

Nigeria recorded an impressive performance, accounting for 96 entries submitted for the GAMA and inaugural NAMA awards, representing one-quarter of all submissions.
Kazeem Biriowo of Nigerian Tribune emerged first-prize winner in the inaugural NAMA Awards, while Julian Adetinuyo of News Scope Africa clinched second place and Mariam Ile-yemi of Premium Times came third.

Among those recognised in the special mention category were Chioma Obinna of Vanguard Newspapers, Folashade Akpan of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Helen Oji Emmanuel of Blueprint, Fatima Saka of DistinctNews, Chinyere Okorafor of Nigeria Health Times, Laide Akinboade of Daily Asset and Odimmegwa John Peter of New Africa Horizon.
The first-, second- and third-prize winners will receive certificates and cash awards, with the financial prizes supported by Art for Health Initiative Nigeria, a non-profit organisation.
Other Nigerian journalists also recorded successes in different categories of the global awards.

In the reporting category covering the 5th High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR, Annabel Nwachukwu of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) won first prize, Edward Samuel Ikpete of Voice of Nigeria (VON) came second, while Doris Obinna of The Sun won third prize.
In the People’s Reporting Category, Isioma Appiah-Yeboah of Clean Beat Radio emerged first-prize winner. Princess Ekwi-Ajide of Anambra Radio Corporation, Smith Nwokocha of Port Harcourt WakaWaka and Chioma Vivian James received special mentions.

Patience Ihejirika of Leadership newspaper and Benedict Ifeanyi Chukwu of Kaftan TV also received special mentions in the Africa category of the GAMA awards.

Speaking after the announcement, Founding Chairperson of the Nigeria AMR Media Alliance (NAMA), Ojoma Akor, described the inaugural awards as a significant milestone in strengthening health and science journalism in Nigeria.

Akor said antimicrobial resistance had received insufficient attention in newsrooms despite its far-reaching implications for public health, healthcare delivery, food security and national development.

She said: “The inaugural NAMA Awards represent an important milestone for health and science journalism in Nigeria. For too long, antimicrobial resistance has received insufficient attention in our newsrooms, despite its enormous implications for public health, healthcare delivery, food security and national development.

“These awards are not simply about celebrating individual journalists. They recognise the power of journalism to make an invisible public health threat visible, translate complex scientific evidence into accessible information, amplify the experiences of affected communities and hold institutions accountable.”

Akor congratulated the winners and nominees, noting that their work demonstrated the capacity of Nigerian journalists to shape public understanding and strengthen the country’s response to AMR.

She added: “As an alliance, we remain committed to building the capacity of journalists, encouraging investigative and solutions-oriented reporting, and ensuring that AMR receives the sustained attention it deserves.”

Founder of Art for Health Initiative, Chidera Rosecamille Aneke, said the organisation was supporting the awards because of the importance of innovative storytelling in communicating the dangers of antimicrobial resistance.

“AMR is one of our organisation’s focal areas, and we are glad to support the NAMA awards in order to push innovative storytelling to communicate AMR in ways the audience can understand,” she said.

Aneke explained that the initiative works at the intersection of storytelling, media and the arts to promote public understanding and action on critical health challenges.

She said the support was intended to elevate impactful, innovative and solutions-driven journalism, adding that the outstanding stories recognised by NAMA demonstrated the potential of media to influence public health conversations.

Also congratulating Nigerian journalists, Chairperson of the Global AMR Media Alliance, Shobha Shukla, commended the Nigeria chapter and its founding chairperson, Akor, for strengthening media engagement on AMR.

Shukla said: “AMR is not just a medical or scientific issue; it is a societal and development challenge. We cannot win the fight against AMR in laboratories and hospitals alone. We need an informed public, accountable governments, and responsible practices across human, animal, and environmental health.”

She said the media had a crucial responsibility to connect scientific evidence with public understanding, amplify the experiences of affected communities and turn awareness into action.

According to her, media engagement is not optional but indispensable to the success of efforts to contain antimicrobial resistance.
Shukla urged journalists to move beyond treating AMR as merely a health news subject and help build a public movement for responsible antimicrobial use and stronger health systems.

“Please keep up the great work you all are doing to help make AMR a public priority before it becomes an irreversible crisis,” she said.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond effectively to medicines designed to treat infections, making diseases increasingly difficult to manage.

The growing threat also increases the risks associated with routine medical procedures, surgery and other essential healthcare interventions.

Nigeria has taken steps to address the challenge through the implementation of its National Action Plan on AMR, surveillance activities, antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control, and collaboration among stakeholders under the One Health approach.
However, sustained public awareness, stronger policy implementation, adequate financing, research and effective communication remain critical to containing the threat.

Akor called on government agencies, development partners, health professionals, researchers and civil society organisations to strengthen their engagement with journalists and support independent, evidence-based reporting on antimicrobial resistance.

She said NAMA would continue working with government institutions, development partners, research organisations, professional associations and media organisations to strengthen journalists’ capacity to report on AMR and ensure the issue remains a priority in Nigeria’s public health conversations.