L-R: Mr Fouad Arif, President, Federation of Atlantic African Press Agencies (FAAPA) presenting the 2025 Award for Best Feature Article to Usman Aliyu of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) with the Managing Director of NAN, Mallam Ali Mohammed Ali.
Marrakech (Morocco), Mr Usman Aliyu, an Assistant Chief Correspondent with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has won the 2025 Federation of Atlantic African Press Agencies (FAAPA) Award for Best Feature Article.
The award was presented on Thursday at the 9th General Assembly of FAAPA in Marrakech, Morocco, which brought together African news agencies and media leaders to champion territorial inclusion and spatial justice on the continent.
Aliyu won the prestigious continental honour with his report titled “Swipe to Survive: How Digital Payments Tackle Youth Unemployment in Nigeria.”
Swipe to survive: How digital payments tackle youth unemployment in Nigeria
The in-depth report examined how young Nigerians are leveraging digital payment platforms to navigate unemployment, create livelihoods, and survive economic hardship.
By this award, NAN emerged as the first anglophone news agency to win the award in any of the categories since its inception.
Aliyu received the award with the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mallam Ali Mohammed Ali, who was in Marrakech for the 9th General Assembly of the news agencies.
The President of FAAPA, Mr Fouad Arif, praised the winning feature for its strong human-interest angle, solutions-oriented approach.
In the Video category, Yacouba Soro of the Ivorian News Agency (AIP) won with his entry titled: “Plastic Waste: from Pollutant to Development Lever.”
The audio-visual report spotlighted innovative approaches to plastic waste management and recycling in Abidjan, the Ivorian capital.
The Best Photo Story award went to Guylain Kipoke Omba of the Congo (Kinshasa) News Agency (ACP) for an image capturing a mother’s desperate effort to save her child from drowning after a 24-hour torrential downpour.
Each of the award winners received a certificate, a plaque, and a cash prize of $1,000 in recognition of their outstanding journalistic contributions. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
