Blanshe Musinguzi, writing for Africa Report, took top honours at the second annual African Investigative Journalist of the Year Award for his far-reaching and impactful investigation into the smuggling of precious Congolese hardwoods through East Africa.
The investigation, “How Congo Trees are smuggled through East Africa”, was developed through the support of the Pulitzer Centre and the Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN).
“It’s a story featuring great investigative research on the ground, persistence and courage in a dangerous part of our continent, as well as profound reporting. It is also an accessible and well written report, an often-overlooked component of journalism,” said convenor of judges Gwen Lister at the gala awards ceremony held in Johannesburg on October 31.
The investigation follows the illicit processing and export of valuable timber from its origin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to different countries around the world.
It’s also a story with great environmental impact, uncovering the people and companies behind widespread criminal activity with negative repercussions in many regions across Africa,” said Lister.
Enoch Darfah Frimpong (right), Editor of Graphic Digital and Ugandan journalist Blanshe Musinguzi moments after he was named Africa’s best investigative journalist in 2024 in Johannesburg.
In a heartfelt acceptance speech, Musinguzi spoke of growing up in rural western Uganda and how fortunate he was to have been able to go to school – something which his mother was never able to do.
“Even now if you ask her, ‘what does your son do?’ she would not be able to tell you. She was able to provide me with my fees and send me to school, but she could not read my report cards. When I went to secondary school, my classmates’ parents were teachers and doctors and so on, and they would come to visit their children, but no one could come to visit me – they couldn’t.
“So from a very young age, I learnt to take things seriously. This award goes to all of us, and it’s an encouragement that we continue to do good work.”