Launched on April 29, 2014 on the theme "Water Security and Climate Resilience of West Africa", the "Water and Environment" journalism contest was intended to reward best newspaper articles and radio programmes from journalists of the "ShareInfo" network in the ECOWAS countries.
Articles and radio programmes were selected by a three member jury composed of communication experts from GWP / WA and IUCN-PACO. The award ceremony took place at a "side event" during the "Africa Water Forum ", which was held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from 12 to 14 June 2014.
The winners are:
- Ms. Idiatou CAMARA of the national radio of Guinea (best radio programme in French) for her magazine on "Water security and climate resilience in West Africa";
- Ms. Bernadet Sanneh of the Gambia Radio and Television Services (best radio programme in English) for her magazine on "Food Self Sufficiency, Vision 2016 in the Gambia" and;
- Mr. Alain TOSSOUNON of the internet portal Podcastjournal.net (best print news story) for his article entitled «The difficult adaptation of communities of the municipality of Adjohoun to climate change: Climate Disruption - When the earth no longer feeds her man."
All winners expressed satisfaction and thanked IUCN and GWP for the opportunity given and support to the media. They encouraged the two institutions to support the efforts of journalists in the collection, processing and dissemination of quality information on water and the environment. The award ceremony was attended by representatives of regional partners such as WRCC / ECOWAS, of the Volta Basin Authority and the States of West Africa.
This first experience of media award in the collaboration between GWP / IUCN with the media comes after a 7-year period during which the collaborative activity was focused on the organization of an annual regional capacity building workshop for journalists. At the end of the seventh workshop held in Abidjan in July 2013 it was agreed to explore other types of activities. These training activities have led to the establishment of a journalists’ network focused on water and environment gathered in a group called "ShareInfo" for information sharing.
Laureates visiting the Water Museum at Loumbila (25 km from Ouaga)
Because of the collaborative experience focused mainly on training activities, this award experience was meant among others to enable members of the network to make a link with all the training received during the years of collaboration. The idea was to outline the relation towards water security that the region (World) is looking for and the impact (s) of the phenomenon of climate change whose effects are felt in all the countries of the region.
Candidates were expected to bring up the realities on the ground, and point out the efforts of people to adapt in addition to some solutions envisaged at different levels in the country.
To date there are in all countries academics and other professionals in the field of environment that can help to better understand the issues and guide towards the proposed measures and appropriate policies.
IWRM is recommended as one of the adaptation measures to CC and is at the heart of the West Africa regional water resources policy of ECOWAS. All regional actors are working to achieve the West African Water Vision
The experience will be renewed in 2015 by GWP and IUCN on the occasion of the 7th World Water Forum, taking advantage of all the lessons learned from this edition.