Cameroon journalist awarded prize in honor of Sputnik Kilambi

A Cameroonian journalist who regularly turns a spotlight on injustice and inequity in his country has been named the recipient of the 2014 Sputnik Kilambi Award for Social Justice Reporting from the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).

The award is named for Kilambi, a journalist and media trainer with a passionate commitment to reporting on local and global issues of development and social justice, especially in Africa. She passed away on July 8, 2013.

The winner, Ntaryike Divine Jr. Ramzi, is the Voice of America correspondent in Cameroon and a freelance reporter for several news outlets including The Associated Press, Science and Development Network, Think Africa Press, and Africa Report.

His stories focus on important social and development issues such as:

• The disparity in education between girls and boys in his country • The failure of political leaders to address the problem of malnutrition, which affects one- third of Cameroon's under-five population • Foreign overfishing in Africa that endangers food security and threatens the livelihood of local fishermen

"These are the types of stories Sputnik pushed journalists to produce -- high-quality stories that pointed to wrongs that should be righted, or problems that demand solutions," said Patrick Butler, ICFJ Vice President for Programs.

"Mr. Ramzi's work exemplifies her values and high standards."

"There were several worthy candidates. ... Mr. Ramzi's work not only meets the high journalistic standards Sputnik would have demanded, but would also have fired her passion for highlighting and fighting injustices," said Ian Noble, journalist and media manager, Sputnik's professional accomplice and personal companion for 25 years.

Kilambi was an ICFJ Knight International Journalism Fellow in Rwanda and Ghana.

She also worked with UN Radio in Côte d'Ivoire and in Sierra Leone, where she worked on the transition to the country's first independent public broadcaster.

ICFJ created the award as a tribute to Sputnik's passion and dedication to high-quality journalism that improves people's lives. Nominations were made by current and former Knight Fellows.

A panel of respected jrnalism leaders selected the winner.

The award is a reporting grant of $1,000 and an all-expenses paid trip to participate in the next story camp offered by the African Story Challenge.

The story camp will be held August 8-14, 2014, in Marrakesh, Morocco.