The Minister of East African Community (EAC) Affairs, Monique Mukaruliza, has praised the ongoing preparations for the first-ever EAC media awards, slated for the end of this year.

The inaugural ceremony, organised by the EAC secretariat and the East African Business Council (EABC), is set to take place in November this year.

In an interview yesterday, Mukaruliza described the competitions as healthy for Rwandans, saying that this would enhance faster regional integration.

"This will go a long way in providing further education to Rwandans on issues of regional integration. We are explaining this to our people but there are those who still don’t understand it,” Mukaruliza said.

The awards, which will be in five categories, aim to promote understanding within media across the region about integration issues and its role in facilitating awareness and integration.

"The media awards seek to recognise the efforts of those journalists and media houses that have made deliberate and consistent efforts to tell the story of East Africa’s integration in a balanced, well-researched and innovative way,” Owora Richard Othieno, the EAC Principal Information and Public Relations Officer said in a separate interview.

The categories for the awards include: best media house (overall winner) in coverage of EAC integration; best reporter (both print and electronic), business; best features writer (both print and electronic).

Others are; environment; and best reporter (both print and electronic) on regional integration issues.
Prizes that include cash and plaques are lined up for individual winners.

The EAC secretariat has already announced that awards competition for this year are on and submission of entries is open to all bona fide practising journalists/commentators from all the EAC partner states.

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