NPL journalist wins 2014 Cost award
Nation Publications Limited (NPL) journalist George Singini has won the 2014 Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (Cost Malawi) Media Award.
Singini was on Thursday recognised for the story titled Karonga-Chitipa Road Completion November, which exposed former president Joyce Banda’s rush to open a road that was one year away from completion.
Speaking in Lilongwe during the award presentation ceremony, Multi Stakeholder Grouping (MSG) chairperson Joe Ching’ani said the initiative is not about witch-hunting or name-shaming, but ensuring transparency in projects management.
He asked the media to embrace Cost principles for successful implementation of projects.
“The community deserves to know extra costs and extension of time in the implementation of projects,” said Ching’ani
As part of the award, Singini received a trophy and K205 000.
Other awardees are Gabriel Kamlomo and Martin Chiwanda while Northern Region Water Board (NRWB), Southern Region Water Board (SRWB) and Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) have also been awarded for being the best procuring entities.
Cost is an international multi-stakeholder initiative designed to increase transparency and accountability in the construction sector and is supported by Department for International Development (DfID) and the World Bank.
The initiative is being piloted in United Kingdom, Philippines, Vietnam, Ethiopia Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi.
To win the award, a story needs to meet at least six factors, namely promoting transparency, fairness and balance, investigative, analysis, courage and have an impact on construction.
