Steinheist producers scoop the coveted Sanlam Group Financial Journalist of the Year

Richard Gregory and Elle Oosthuizen, the producers of the impactful video story Steinheist on Showmax, are the winners of the Sanlam Group Financial Journalist of the Year for 2022, becoming the first TV journalists to win the esteemed prize in nearly a decade. The duo also won the Broadcast: TV and Video category award.

The Best Newcomer award went to Damilola Olufemi of The Punch newspaper in Nigeria. Mr Olufemi demonstrated creativity and insight in his financial reportage, according to the independent judging panel.

Ronald Adamolekun of the Premium Times newspaper in Nigeria won The African Growth Story category, representing the second year in a row that a journalist from the publication won the prize. Yusuf Akinpelu, formerly with the Premium Times and now West Africa journalist with the BBC based in Lagos Nigeria, scooped both the African Growth Story and financial journalist of the year awards in the 2021 edition of the competition.

Open to journalists practising in Africa, the African Growth Story prize recognises stories covering significant trade and investment developments on the continent. Entries should cover the growth of the continent on topics including investments, infrastructure and economic development.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed to Dr Thami Mazwai, former editor of Sowetan, founding member of the South African National Editors’ Forum and an advocate for grassroots entrepreneurship.

Established by Sanlam in 1974, the awards recognise exceptional financial journalism on the African continent. This year the judging panel received a total of 155 entries from journalists from across the African continent, compared to 89 received last year.

The chair of the independent adjudication panel, Professor Nixon Kariithi, was joined by Ms Paula Fray, who retires from the panel after serving for nearly 10 years, Professor Ylva Rodny-Gumede, Mr Ulrich Joubert, Mr Charles Naude and Mr Musa Zondi all based in South Africa, as well as Ms Angela Agoawike of Nigeria, Ms Aggie Asiimwe Konde, Uganda, Mr Rayborn Bulley, in Ghana, Mr Tom Indimuli, Kenya and Ms Emily Brown of Namibia.

Commenting on the achievement of the overall winners, Professor Kariithi said: “The independent judging panel always looks out for a submission that could be seen to be an exemplar for African financial journalism. As usual, the entries were robust and interesting, facilitating rigorous debates among the judges. The Sanlam Group Financial Journalist of the Year was unanimously selected by the judging panel as a piece of ground-breaking journalism and an example of brilliant video storytelling in the public interest, as well as an inspirational standard for the financial journalism community across the continent.”

The full list of winners and runners-up were:

Sanlam Group Financial Journalist of the Year

Mr Richard Gregory and Ms Elle Oosthuizen, Steinheist on Showmax

Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr Thami Mazwai, former editor of Sowetan, Founding member of the South African National Editors Forum

Best Newcomer

Mr Damilola Olufemi, The Punch, Nigeria

Business / Companies

Winner: Mr Dewald van Rensburg, Ms Micah Reddy and Mr Sam Sole of amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism
First runner-up: Mr Rob Rose, Financial Mail
Second runner-up: Mr Dewald van Rensburg, amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism

Economy

Winner: Mr Rob Rose, Financial Mail
First runner-up: Ms Claire Bisseker, Financial Mail
Second runner-up: Mr David McKay, News24

Financial Markets

Winner: Mr David McKay, Financial Mail
First runner-up: Mr Rob Rose, Financial Mail
Second runners-up: Mr Marc Hasenfuss, Financial Mail and Mr Ryk van Niekerk, Moneyweb, RSG Geldsake

Consumer Financial Education

Winner: Maya Fisher-French, Maya on Money
First runner-up: Mr Ryk van Niekerk, Moneyweb, RSG Geldsake
Second runners-up: Ms Ruan Jooste, Personal Finance and Bruce Whitfield Radio 702, Cape Talk

ESG: Business and the Environment

Winner: Justice Nwafor, Nigeria Tribune
First runner-up: Rob Rose, Financial Mail

Second runners-up:
Mr Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman, EIB Network, Ghana
Mr Paul Murungi, Daily Monitor, Uganda
Ms Lisa Steyn, News24

ESG: Business and Society

Joint winners: Mr Rob Rose, Financial Mail and Ryk van Niekerk, Moneyweb, RSG Geldsake
Joint runners-up: Ms Lameez Omarjee, News24 and Lisa Steyn, News24

Broadcast: Audio

Winner: Mr Bruce Whitfield, Radio 702, Cape Talk
First runner-up: Ryk van Niekerk, Geldsake, RSG

Second runners-up:
Mr Destiny Onyemihia, Voice of Nigeria
Mr Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman, EIB Network, Ghana
Ms Ruan Jooste, Personal Finance

Broadcast: TV & Video

Winner: Mr Richard Gregory and Elle Oosthuizen, Steinheist on Showmax
Runner-up: Ms Devi Sankaree Govender, The Devi Show

African Growth Story

Winner: Ronald Adamolekun, Premium Times, Nigeria
First runner-up: Kingsley Jeremiah, The Guardian, Nigeria

Second runners-up:
Mr Paul Murungi, Daily Monitor, Uganda
Mr Mahamadi Sebogo, Sidwaya, Burkina Faso

The category winners each receive R30,000 prize money, the best newcomer prize is R25,000, while the overall winner receives an additional R40,000. The first and second runners up each receive R20,000 and R15,000 respectively. 

Sanlam Group Executive, Market Development and Sustainability, Mr Karl Socikwa, said: “Sanlam is pleased about our ongoing support to acknowledge the best financial journalism on the African continent. We congratulate all the journalists who submitted entries for the 2022 awards. The diverse stories submitted for the competition display the diligence, beautiful storytelling and an enormous commitment to excellence in spotlighting Africa’s challenges and progress in business and economics. The illuminating reporting of these journalists contribute meaningfully to the outlook on Africa’s place in the global economy and financial journalism.