Zimbabwean journalist wins 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, and is part of APO Group’s commitment to supporting the development of journalism in Africa.

The judging panel for the APO Group African Women in Media Award consisted of 100 luminaries, with global icons such as Naomi Campbell joined by senior executives from every major industry on the continent, from Visa to Hilton, Facebook to FIFA, and Uber to Lego.

It was the largest and most influential panel of judges ever assembled for an African media award, reflecting the importance of recognising gender equality in business and the media.

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 the founder of MoneyMart Finance.

Matabvu receives a $2,500 cash prize, and will also be invited to attend online courses from one of the most respected universities in the world.

Debra Matabvu is a news reporter at The Sunday Mail, a weekly newspaper owned by Zimbabwe Newspapers (Zimpapers). She joined The Sunday Mail in 2014. Debra has a BSc in Journalism and Media Studies from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Zimbabwe. She has also worked with Reuters and is a member of the World Association of Newspaper and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)'s 2020 Women in News Leadership Accelerator Programme. She is passionate about Women, Education and Health issues.

Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, founder and chairman of APO Group said: “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Debra. Her fascinating article about Ethel 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 supporting the development of journalism throughout Africa.”