Nurtured to win: PACJA’s Award Winner now heads to Rhode Island Varsity Metcalf Institute for science journalists

 

Nairobi, May 4-5-2021: The 2020 Best African TV Journalist African Climate Change and Environmental Reporting (ACCER) Award winner Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman from Ghana has been selected for a science fellowship in the US focused on climate change impacts, solutions, and equitable approaches to reporting.

The ACCER Award, an initiative of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) is the largest and major award that recognizes excellence in the reporting of environmental and climate change in Africa and has since attracted sponsors and interests from the UNEP, SIDA among others.
Launched amid the Covid-19 pandemic, African Climate Change, and Environment Reporting (ACCER) Awards 2020 edition attracted 170 entries from around the world to compete in nine categories.

Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman from GHOne TV is among 20 fellows from across the world chosen for the University of Rhode Island’s Metcalf Institute’s 23rd annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists.

In the end, 24 winners in different categories, in English and French were picked with Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman emerging winner in the TV in English category from his presentation titled: Sanitation Mess: A silent enemy in Ghana’s COVID 19 Response.

“This is good news for Africa and a testimony of fruits of the investment in building the capacities of African journalists to tell the African narrative on climate change discourses,” said Dr. Mithika Mwenda, the Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA).

Together with its other initiative, the continental Pan African Media Alliance for Climate Change (PAMACC) and The ACCER Awards Finalists Academy (TAAFA), PACJA intends to build more capacity among journalists and encourage attention towards climate change.

Issues ably captured by most entries in the 2020 edition of the ACCER Award include water safety, energy sources, land use and planning, pollution, damage of useful infrastructure, lacking capacity in the handling of natural resources, agribusiness, and conservation.

According to Dr. Mithika, PACJA is committed to seek and widen opportunities for partners in Africa and those around the world to partner to make Climate Action a Way of Life, knowing well that nature can do without humans, but humans cannot do without nature.

Din-Osman holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications Studies from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.