PREMIUM TIMES journalist, others shine at Sanlam Awards
PREMIUM TIMES foreign affairs and diaspora reporter, Beloved John, has emerged as the Runner-up in the ESG: Business and Society category of the 2024 Sanlam Financial Journalism Awards, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday.
Some of Ms John’s entries considered for the awards are: INVESTIGATION: Milk or Mimic: Nigeria’s dairy market, a hub for inferior EU products and Green Energy’s Dirty Secret: Illegal lithium trade thrives in Oyo.
She was initially shortlisted alongside Gouba Emmanuel of Info Nature, Burkina Faso; Rob Rose of Currency News, South Africa; and Deogratius Wamala of Daily Monitor, Uganda.
Rob Rose of Currency News, South Africa, was announced the winner of the category.
Other winners
Dewald van Rensburg of amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism, South Africa, emerged winner of the Business and Companies category; Mahamadi Sidwaya, from Burkina Faso, won the African Growth Story for the second year in a row; Deogratius Wamala of the Daily Monitor clinched the Best Newcomer award; Vernon Wessels of Currency News, South Africa, won the Economy category; and Giulietta Talevi, also of Currency News, won the Financial Markets category.
Other winners are: Sikonathi Mantshantsha, Alfonso Nqunjana and Sharlene Rudolph News24, who won the ESG: Business and the Environment category; Maya on Money, South Africa, won the Consumer Financial Education category; Devi Govender of The Devi Show on eTV, South Africa, won the Broadcast: TV&Video category; Ryk van Niekerk, Geldsake, RSG, won the Broadcast: Audio category.
The 2025 Sanlam Group Financial Journalist of the Year Award went to Ryk van Niekerk of the Money Web. Mr Niekerk is also the editor and RSG Geldsake radio news presenter.
“His reporting has informed the public, generated public debate and triggered regulatory scrutiny,” the organisers said.
Sanlam Awards
The Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism have recognised and rewarded exceptional business journalism in Africa since 1974.
This year, the award attracted 237 entries from 17 countries across the African continent, the organisers said, noting it is the highest entries ever in the competition’s 50-year history.
About Ms John
Beloved John is a Nigerian journalist with PREMIUM TIMES, where she covers foreign and diaspora issues. She has three years of experience and has reported for notable Nigerian media outlets, including OrderPaper and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).
She has contributed significantly to research and reporting across a wide range of subjects, including foreign policy and diaspora affairs, health, religious extremism, insecurity, and the Nigerian National Assembly.
In 2023, her investigative report on Pseudo Honorary Degrees from an institution owned by a former public office holder in Nigeria, the London Graduate School, emerged as the runner-up for the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting.
While working as a reporter with OrderPaper, she extensively covered the House of Representatives, producing in-depth reports on parliamentary oversight, budget debates, legislative transparency, and accountability in governance.
Since joining PREMIUM TIMES, she has produced consequential reports on health and foreign policy. In recent months, she has reported extensively on the impact of the USAID funding cut on local communities and vulnerable groups in Nigeria, shedding light on how international policy shifts affect lives on the ground.
Her work reflects a strong commitment to evidence-based journalism.
When she is not working, Beloved enjoys reading, spending time with friends, binge-watching period dramas, and playing games.