Karima Kamal, columnist and contributing editor for the Egyptian daily Al Masry Al Yom, has been named the 2017 Laureate for Middle East and Africa. Pamella Sittoni,Editor of the International Desk for the Nation Media Group and Managing Editor for The East African, a weekly circulated in Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, has been named the 2017 Laureate for Africa.

"I am humbled by this great honour”, said 2017 Africa Laureate Pamella Sittoni. “This award is a strong confirmation that the world is taking notice of the important contribution that women leaders in media houses are making to the development of their countries, regions and the world. I'm confident that it will inspire other women journalists, particularly the younger ones, to aim for the top through diligence​," said Sittoni.

On being named a winner, 2017 MENA Laureate Karima Kamal said:  "I am very pleased to have received the Award as I feel it is the crown of my professional journey. The Award supports those who defend the freedom of the press, and is also a confirmation of the importance of promoting the presence of women equally and fairly within all strata of media”.

The Women in News Editorial Leadership Award is part of WAN-IFRA’s Gender and Media Freedom Strategy, made possible through support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Under the initiative, one Laureate from MENA and one Laureate from Africa are named, annually.

This is the first year that WAN-IFRA has named a Laureate for the Middle East and North Africa. Toyosi Ogunseye, Editor of the Sunday Punch in Nigeria, was named 2014 Laureate for Africa.

The 2017 Laureates will be honoured at the Women in News Summit in Durban, South Africa, on 7 June 2017. The WIN Summit is organised in association with the 2017 World News Congress and Wolrd Editors’ Forum, taking place in Durban from 7-9 June.

To read more about the 2017 Laureates: http://womeninnews.org/laureates

Online registration for the World News Media Congress is available at: www.wan-ifra.org/durban2017.

Contact - Inquiries

Melanie Walker, Director Media Development WAN-IFRA, melanie.walker@wan-ifra.org

About Women in News

Women in News (WIN) aims to increase women’s leadership and voices in the news. It also works to change institutional bottlenecks to the advancement of women media executives by creating champions and educators from within the media industry. Women in News employs targeted capacity building actions such as media management training, coaching and mentoring combined with a partnership-driven approach to advocacy, emphasising education, sensitisation and practical tools. www.womeninnews.org