Paa Kwesi: First Ghanaian wins 2023 BBC News Komla Dumor Award

Ghanaian television and radio presenter, Paa Kwesi Asare. [Source: BBC]

Ghanaian television and radio presenter, Paa Kwesi Asare is the winner of this year's BBC News Komla Dumor Award.

He is currently working as a TV and radio presenter with TV3, a Ghanaian television station. He has been working there since 2016.

Previous winners of the prestigious Award are Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya (Zambia), Victoria Rubadiri (Kenya), Solomon Serwanjja (Uganda), Waihiga Mwaura (Kenya), Amina Yuguda (Nigeria), Didi Akinyelure (Nigeria) and Nancy Kacungira (Uganda).

The award was created in 2015 to honor the memory of Komla Dumor, a presenter for BBC World News.

Dumor was widely known to be committed to reporting African stories.

As part of the award, Paa Kwesi will spend three months working with BBC News teams in London across television, radio, and online.

Paa Kwasi Asare says: "I am absolutely thrilled to have won the Komla Dumor Award. This is arguably the most prestigious award for any African journalist, and I am honored to be in the company of such incredible previous winners. Komla Dumor was a true pioneer in African journalism, and it's a great privilege to be following in his footsteps. This award gives me the motivation to continue striving for excellence in my career, and I am excited to use this platform to amplify African voices and tell the stories that matter to our continent."

The judges were impressed by the quality of Paa Kwesi's journalism, his ability to grasp complex topics and explain them clearly, and his commitment to telling stories that matter.

Liliane Landor, Senior Controller of BBC News International Services and Director of the BBC World Service says: "We are delighted to welcome Paa Kwesi Asare to BBC News. Paa Kwesi is a rising star in African journalism. A passionate advocate for African stories, we are excited to have him join the BBC to continue Komla Dumor's legacy of telling the stories that matter to Africa."

Additional information from the BBC.