Abdulrasheed (L) receiving his award plaque from Paul Adepoju
Hammad Abdulrasheed, a freelance investigative journalist, has been announced as the winner of the Africa Science Journalism Award (early career science journalist category) by the Science for Africa Foundation.
The ceremony was held in South Africa at the 13th World Conference of Science Journalists.
The Africa Science Journalism Award celebrates excellence in health, science, and development reporting across Africa. The award aims to recognise and reward exceptional journalism, highlighting African journalists who excel in covering health, climate change, the environment, and agriculture — key thematic focus areas for the SFA Foundation.
The winning investigation, titled “INVESTIGATION: Inside Sokoto factories producing contaminated sachet water”, funded by the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF), exposed how 22 factories in Sokoto state operating without registration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) produced contaminated sachet water.
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CNJF, a partner of TheCable newspaper, is a not-for-profit organisation using the vehicle of journalism to advance transparency and accountability in government.
The winning story also revealed how 12 sachet water factories were in operation despite the expiration of their NAFDAC registration, raising questions about the regulatory body’s negligence in the state.
Winners and honourable mentions in two categories of the award were also announced during the science journalism conference, held for the first time on the African continent.
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“It is really a great honour to be recognised across the African continent, most especially at the World Conference of Science Journalists, which brings together science journalists across the continent,” Abdulrasheed said.
“This shows the quality and impactful stories I produce as a journalist. It is a motivation to produce more impactful stories that will have a great effect on the lives of people at the grassroots level.”
He appreciated the Science for Africa Foundation for the recognition and CNJF for funding the winning report.
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