Ghana’s Veronica Narkwor Kwabla wins CNN Health & Medical Award

Ghana’s Veronica Narkwor Kwabla, Saturday, won the Health & Medical Award at the 2016 CNN African Journalist of the Year Awards.

A ceremony held in South Africa saw Miss Kwabla, a Senior Journalist with the Congo-based and Euronews-owned Africanews, honoured for her outstanding performance. Until recently, Kwabla worked with the Accra-based TV3.

The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Competition is respected across the African continent.

Founded by the Ghanaian Edward Boateng, it is to reinforce the importance of the role of journalists in Africa’s development and to reward, recognise and encourage journalistic talent across all media disciplines.

This year, the competition received over 1,600 entries – a record number – from 38 countries across the continent, including French and Portuguese-speaking Africa.

Celebrated widely, the first Awards Ceremony took place in Ghana on August 11, 1995. There were six winners that year from Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda. Since then, 20 more Awards Ceremonies have been held.

The competition has grown into 14 categories which includes a newly added category: The Maggie Eales Young Journalist Award, named in honour of the late Maggie Eales, the CNN executive and former journalist who during her 20 year career at CNN was the driving force behind the development and growth of the African Journalist Awards.

The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards is in its 21st year.