Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards finalists up

The panel of judges will select the winners of each category, who will be announced at a gala ceremony in London, UK on Thursday, 1 July 2010.

2010 finalists:

Best ICT Feature

• 'Youths on a mission to light up Kibera slums using solar power' Zachary Ochieng (CIO, East Africa)
  
• 'Series on Business & Technology' Michael Dynes (Africa Investor, UK)
  
• 'Zimbabwe catches on to Facebook' Andrew Meldrum (Global Post, USA)

Best Finance Feature

• 'Ask Nigeria's Lamido Sanusi' David Stead and team (BBC World Service, Africa Have Your Say, UK)
  
• 'Investor Relations Management in East Africa' Andrea Bohnstedt (Ratio Magazine, Kenya)
  
• 'Leveraging Africa's Diaspora remittances' Sanou Mbaye (Les pages de Sanou Mbaye, Various)

Best Infrastructure Feature

• 'The Bujagali Hydro' Alex Halperin (This is Africa, UK)
  
• 'The Politics of Power' Suzanne Beukes (CNBC Africa, South Africa)
  
• 'The Scramble for Blue Gold' Kerry Dimmer (African Decisions, South Africa)

Best Agribusiness / Environment Feature

• 'Home Grown' Murray Hunter (African Decisions, South Africa)
  
• 'Hunger looms as biofuels take root in Uganda' Francis Kagolo (New Vision, Uganda)
  
• 'Kenya rainmakers called to the rescue to combat climate change' Jean-Marc Mojon (Agence France-Presse, Kenya/France)

Best Tourism Feature

• 'Prospectus' Darren Kerr (CNBC Africa, South Africa)
  
• 'Land grabbing: The plunder of public beaches' Philip Mwakio (The Financial Journal, Kenya)
  
• 'A Golden Opportunity' Lanre Akinola (This Is Africa, UK)

Best use of New Media in a Story

• 'White Poverty in South Africa' Finbarr O'Reilly (Reuters, South Africa/UK)
  
• 'Series on Business in Africa' Bunmi Oloruntoba (A Bombastic Element, USA)
  
• 'Spark Africa Series' Peter Vlam (Africa Interactive, Various)

Best Business News Story

• 'China Takes African Market by Storm' Felix Dela Klutse (Daily Guide Newspaper, Ghana)
  
• 'Farewell Mobitelea' Bankelele (Bankelele, Kenya)
  
• 'Adenuga's Conoil owes N100 billion in taxes' Clara Nwachukwu (NEXT, Nigeria)

Best Business Feature Story

• 'The Engine Room' Peter Guest (This is Africa, UK)
  
• 'How Africa is Becoming the New Asia' Jerry Guo (Newsweek, USA)
  
• 'Tendai Biti' Robyn Curnow (CNN African Voices, South Africa)

Best Newcomer

• Pia Minchener (African Decisions, South Africa)
  
• Gemma Ware (The Africa Report, France)
  
• Daniel Osunkoya (NEXT, Nigeria)

Media of the Year

• This is Africa (Financial Times, UK)
  
• Enterprise Kenya (Kenya Television Network, Standard Group, Kenya)
  
• Business Day Nigeria (Johnnic Communications, Nigeria)

Journalist of the Year

• Peter Guest (This is Africa, UK)
  
• Alex Duval Smith (Jeune Afrique/Guardian Observer, UK)
  
• Rob Rose (Financial Mail, South Africa)

Clips of the shortlisted entries can be found online at www.diageoafricabusinessreportingawards.com/2010awards.

Commenting on this year's awards, Gerald Mahinda, MD, Brandhouse, said, "These finalists represent those who are leading the way in creating a more balanced view of business reporting on Africa. The shortlisted entrants have gone the extra mile in reporting the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Africa and have thoroughly investigated issues that matter to business communities locally, regionally and internationally."

"The record breaking number of entries from across the globe reflects the increase in business reporting on Africa in 2009/2010. Also, the type of entries we have received also indicates a shift in the way that news is being delivered to audiences with many more entrants being online citizen journalists and bloggers. With over 750 entries this year, those shortlisted in their category should be immensely proud of their achievements and contribution to promoting a more accurate understanding of the business environment in Africa," continued Mahinda.

The judging panel brings together global experts from the field of media, business, as well as pan-African initiatives and organisations.

The 2010 judges include:

• Zeinab Badawi, international news broadcaster
  
• Dr. Shantayanan Devarajan, chief economist of the World Bank's Africa Division
  
• Stephen King, investments director at The Omidyar Foundation
  
• Commissioner Louis Michel, European commissioner for development and humanitarian aid
  
• Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu, former CEO of New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
  
• Dr Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, chairman of the NEPAD Business Group and executive president of the African Business Roundtable
  
• Paul Walsh (Chair), CEO of Diageo
  
• Baroness Shriti Vadera, G20 advisor and former minister for business and competitiveness in Gordon Brown's government

Obiageli Ezekwesili, VP of the World Bank Africa region, will present as the keynote speaker at the awards ceremony. Ezekwesili is a Nigerian chartered accountant and co-founder of Transparency International. She served as federal minister of Solid Minerals and then as federal minister of education in Nigeria during the second term presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.