Cameroon-Business - One of Cameroon's foremost breweries and distilleries, Guinness Cameroon, affiliate of the Diageo spirits company, last Friday February 4, at Yaounde's Hilton Hotel launched an international business reporting competition, the Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards, DABRA. The aim of the competition is to promote excellence in business journalism on Africa where others have tended to major in conflict and the negative, explained Guinness Cameroon Managing Director and head of the Cameroon Hub, Steve Gannon.
Such reporting, he pointed out, portrays the other side of happenings on the continent, thus playing a major role in opening it up to greater investment flows. Through the competition, the company seeks to give back something to the countries where it operates by helping them develop their business, Gannon said.
The MD therefore invited Cameroonian business/economy reporters to write stories that could win some of the awards on offer, explaining that the competition was open to all journalists - print, broadcast and Information Communication Technology media. The quality of entries must be insightful, engaging, honest and have integrity, he explained.
The competition that began in 2004 has this year been extended to Francophone African countries and the number of categories increased from 7 to 11. They are features on infrastructure, agribusiness/environment and tourism; while the others are stories on use of New Media or ICT, business news, business feature, newcomer, media of the year, and journalist of the year categories. A total of 33 nominees are to be retained for the finals that come up in London in July this year.
Articles for the competition should not be more than 5,000 words. Journalists would be free to submit as many entries as they wish for certain categories. Entries may be submitted to Guinness Cameroon Douala office for forwarding to the Nigerian collection centre by March 20. On offer, would be a sculpture piece and prize money of FCFA 400,000. Award organizers however stressed at the launch that the recognition to be gained from winning such an award and the international exposure the winner would receive, were more important than the token prize money. Already published or broadcast material would also be accepted as entries; but this must have taken place between April 18, 2010 and March 27, 2011. The awards are free for all to enter. Online submission of entries is available at www.diageoafricabusinessreportingawards.com
Such reporting, he pointed out, portrays the other side of happenings on the continent, thus playing a major role in opening it up to greater investment flows. Through the competition, the company seeks to give back something to the countries where it operates by helping them develop their business, Gannon said.
The MD therefore invited Cameroonian business/economy reporters to write stories that could win some of the awards on offer, explaining that the competition was open to all journalists - print, broadcast and Information Communication Technology media. The quality of entries must be insightful, engaging, honest and have integrity, he explained.
The competition that began in 2004 has this year been extended to Francophone African countries and the number of categories increased from 7 to 11. They are features on infrastructure, agribusiness/environment and tourism; while the others are stories on use of New Media or ICT, business news, business feature, newcomer, media of the year, and journalist of the year categories. A total of 33 nominees are to be retained for the finals that come up in London in July this year.
Articles for the competition should not be more than 5,000 words. Journalists would be free to submit as many entries as they wish for certain categories. Entries may be submitted to Guinness Cameroon Douala office for forwarding to the Nigerian collection centre by March 20. On offer, would be a sculpture piece and prize money of FCFA 400,000. Award organizers however stressed at the launch that the recognition to be gained from winning such an award and the international exposure the winner would receive, were more important than the token prize money. Already published or broadcast material would also be accepted as entries; but this must have taken place between April 18, 2010 and March 27, 2011. The awards are free for all to enter. Online submission of entries is available at www.diageoafricabusinessreportingawards.com
