Nigerian Journalist Rakiya Muhammad Wins 2026 ICFJ-Wikimedia Open The Knowledge Awards
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Mohammed Shosanya
The International Center for Journalists, ICFJ, in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation, has named three African journalists as recipients of the 2026 Open the Knowledge Journalism Awards.
Nigerian freelancer Rakiya Muhammad took first place for “West Africa’s Borderless Women: Inside the Yoruba Sisterhood Linking Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire,”published in RM Times.
The report documents a decades-long migration pattern from Ejigbo in southwest Nigeria to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
According to Muhammad’s story, women from Ejigbo have become a dominant force in Abidjan’s markets and a key driver of cultural and economic ties between the two countries.
The story said about 80% of Ejigbo’s funding comes from its people in Côte d’Ivoire.
Commenting, Muhammad said receiving the honour renews her passion for telling stories that place African women at the heart of the narrative as active agents of development, leadership and social change.
She added:“The recognition rekindles my commitment to documenting positive stories about Africa with authenticity and depth, while shedding light on the gendered dimensions often overlooked in broader discussions.”
Abiodun Adewale,a Nigerian sports reporter for The Punch, came second for the piece ”Breaking boundaries: How Nigeria’s U-19 women are rewriting cricket history.”
His story chronicles how the Junior Female Yellow Greens, a Nigerian womens cricket team, prepared for and performed at the 2025 International Youth Cricket World Cup.
Sports coverage in Nigeria rarely focuses on cricket; Adewale’s story highlights the sport’s growing presence in the country.
Angeline Ochieng,a Kenyan-based correspondent from Nation Media Group, received special mention for the story “The converts: How reformed midwives are ending maternal deaths.”
Published in the Daily Nation, the article focuses on former traditional midwives in rural Kenya who have ended their practice to advocate for hospital deliveries, leading to fewer deaths and complications.
The Open the Knowledge Journalism Awards celebrate journalism that provides reliable, well-researched source material for Wikipedia volunteer editors. Wikipedia relies on citations from published, credible reporting to build and expand articles.
ICFJ President Sharon Moshavi, said journalism and Wikipedia need each other.
Moshavi added: “Wikipedia’s volunteer editors rely on independent reporting to build a more complete knowledge resource, and journalists benefit from the global and multilingual reach that Wikipedia provides. These awards recognize that relationship and the African journalists who are making our digital information ecosystems stronger.”
Anusha Alikhan, Wikimedia Foundation Chief Communications Officer, said representation remains a challenge. “Wikipedia is the largest encyclopedia ever assembled, but it is far from complete. Having stories written by Africans about the issues they care about is vital to ensuring the encyclopedia is representative of many experiences and perspectives.”
Olaniyan Ishola Oulushola, President of Wikimedia Nigeria and a member of this year’s selection committee, noted the quality of entries.
He said: “As a Wikipedia editor, I see in each of them an opportunity to improve information about Africa on Wikipedia. From documenting the history of women cross-border traders in West Africa to the achievements of female cricketers, each of these articles brings us a step closer to closing the knowledge gaps we are working on every day.”
Earlier in the year, African journalists living on the continent were invited to self-nominate articles they had written that help expand knowledge about Africa, with a specific focus on the areas of women and/or youth, and arts, culture, heritage, and sports.
In total, 320 submission swere received from 40 African countries.
