APO Group, a leading pan-African communications, and business consultancy, has announced Zimbabwean journalist, Debra Matabvu, as the winner of the 2020 APO Group African Women in Media Award.
The award recognises, celebrates, and empowers African women in the media who support female entrepreneurship throughout the continent.
Debra’s win was announced at the sixth Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum Virtual Conference and Awards, held December 2-3, 2020.
The jury voted on a shortlist of five finalists and chose Matabvu as the winner for her article, ‘Ethel defies Gokwe myth.’
The piece tells the story of Ethel Chiwara-Mupambwa who challenged the traditional rules of life in her community to become a successful businesswoman and founder of MoneyMart Finance.
Matabvu received a $2,500 cash prize, and will also be invited to attend online courses from one of the most respected universities in the world.
Founder and Chairman of APO, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, said: “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Debra. Her fascinating article about Mrs. Chiwara-Mupambwa demonstrates the quality of journalism in Africa and celebrates a true success story in our quest for equality.
“This year’s APO Group African Women in Media Award became bigger than anything we could have imagined, and that is thanks to our amazing jury, who gave up their valuable time to get involved. APO Group remains committed to shining a light on stories of hope and positivity, and to support the development of journalism throughout Africa.”
Matabvu is a news reporter at The Sunday Mail, a weekly newspaper owned by Zimbabwe Newspapers. She joined the newspaper in 2014. She has also worked with Reuters and is a member of the World Association of Newspaper and News Publishers’ 2020 Women in News Leadership Accelerator Programme.
