The Ministry of Information and Media has officially launched the 2025 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Media Awards, inviting journalists to submit entries for works completed between January 1 and December 31, 2024. The announcement was made during a launch event in Lusaka, where Thabo Kawana, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, addressed the media with a call for more regional integration stories and less political reporting.
Kawana highlighted Zambia’s historic success in the competition, noting that the country had previously taken top prizes in several categories. However, he acknowledged that Zambia had dropped to second place in the last awards. He attributed this decline to the local media’s excessive focus on politics, urging journalists to diversify their coverage to include regional stories that promote cooperation and integration within Southern Africa.
“We cannot be a nation that is perpetually in campaign mode,” said Kawana. “Perpetually politicking such that what makes news is just politics.”
In his address, Kawana also emphasized Zambia’s role as a leader in journalism within the region, offering media training to other Southern African nations. He urged local media outlets to reclaim the country’s top position in the competition, expressing confidence that with a broader focus, Zambia could once again excel.
Additionally, Kawana expressed concern over the low participation of private media in the SADC Media Awards. He encouraged private media houses to submit their work, emphasizing that the awards not only benefit individual journalists but also enhance the reputation of the media institutions and the country as a whole.
Morden Mayembe, the Director for Press and Media Development in the Ministry, reassured journalists of the Ministry’s full support in preparing their entries. “If you have a story idea and you want assistance from the Ministry, you are free to come, sit with us, and we will help you where we can so that you get it right,” Mayembe said.
The SADC Media Awards competition is open to all Zambian journalists, with four categories: Television, Radio, Print, and Photo Journalism. The first-place winners in each category will receive a prize of 2,500 US Dollars, while the runners-up will receive 1,000 US Dollars.
In 2024, Zambia submitted six entries, three of which progressed to the regional competition. Nathan Banda, a journalist at the Ministry of Information and Media, earned second place in the Print category.
The SADC Media Awards offer a valuable opportunity for journalists in the region to showcase their work, promote regional integration, and contribute to a stronger and more cooperative Southern Africa. With the support of the Ministry of Information and Media, Zambia’s journalists are encouraged to rise to the challenge and pursue excellence in the competition.
