Ghanaian Investigative Science journalist, Ibrahim Khalilulahi Usman has won the Best News Story / Feature Category at the Africa Science Journalism for his investigative piece on coastal erosion in Ghana.
Now in its second phase, the awards organised by the Science For Africa Foundation seek to honour journalists whose reporting strengthens public understanding of science and combats misinformation across the continent.
The announcement was made during the just-concluded 13th World Conference of Science Journalists in Pretoria, South Africa, marking the event’s first-ever African host.
“These awards recognize more than excellence. We celebrate the vital forces behind it,” stated Dr. Evelyn Gitau, Chief Scientific Officer, SFA Foundation. “The courage to investigate, the persistence to verify, and the creativity to translate —these are the qualities our finalists exemplified. Each winner has used their talent not just to report, but to ignite public curiosity, safeguard factual discourse, and demonstrate that science is not locked away in institutions. It is a living, breathing part of Africa’s daily life and future.”
In his acceptance speech, the award-winning science journalist reframed journalism’s fundamental challenge in the AI era. Referencing Tom Kovach and Rosenstiel’s 2001 book “The Elements of Journalism,” he highlighted the first principle: journalism’s obligation is to the truth.
Twenty-five years ago, that statement addressed traditional verification challenges.
He stated that, today, with AI generating and assisting in content creation, science journalists face dual verification requirements
“As science journalists, our responsibility is to prioritize truth, leveraging AI responsibly to enhance our work. This means we’ve two task:” he noted
“verifying information created with AI by humans and verifying information created by humans using AI. It’s a challenging task, but it presents an opportunity to use AI responsibly and enhance our reporting.”
Khalilulahi’s award-winning investigation, supported by Dialogue Earth and Wits University, required four months of research and fact-checking.
That timeline, he explained, reflects the depth necessary for responsible science journalism in an era where AI can generate plausible-sounding but potentially inaccurate content at scale.
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