MTN Cameroon introduces Y’ello Media awards

MTN Cameroon on Wednesday, April 30, 2026, launched the maiden Y’ello Press Awards, a national prize to recognize excellence, ethics, and innovation in journalism, with a strong focus on strengthening print media.

The launch, held in Yaounde days before World Press Freedom Day on May 3, brought together government officials, media owners, and journalists.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, MTN Cameroon CEO Wanda Matandela said the awards are part of MTN’s “long-term vision to contribute to a more sustainable media ecosystem in Cameroon.

“Being here, surrounded by those who inform, question and help shape how our country sees itself, is truly meaningful for us,” Matandela said. “We are not just connecting people. We are committed to being a long-term partner in Africa’s progress.”

He stressed that “we cannot build an inclusive digital future without trust, and trust cannot exist without strong, professional and credible media.”

Matandela outlined MTN’s three-pillar media plan:Y’ello Kiosk, launched in 2025, to help newspapers sell online and create new revenue, Y’ello Press Awards to recognize excellence in content, ethics, investigation, storytelling, and innovation and Pan-Africa Media Innovation Programme, to train journalists in mobile journalism, digital platforms, and AI “while preserving the fundamentals of responsible journalism.”

“Technology alone does not build trust, people do. And investing in journalists means investing in democracy, accountability and social cohesion,” he said. 

He congratulated jury members appointed by the Minister of Communication, saying “your credibility and integrity will be essential to the success of this programme.”

During the event, Communication Minister Emmanuel Rene Sadi called the awards “a commendable initiative” driven by media practitioners themselves to honor the best “on the basis of a set of rigorous and objective criteria.”

He said a focus on excellence is “more urgent than ever, given the editorial shortcomings that have, unfortunately, become recurrent.”

While the “wind of freedom” 30 years ago sparked creativity, it also “encouraged the intrusion of a set of journalists ill-equipped with tools necessary to practise a noble and demanding profession,” Sadi noted. 

“This trend has over the years contributed to tarnish the image of our media landscape and, in some quarters, to undermine the perception which the public has for journalists.”

“It was therefore high time for a surge of renewal and pride to emerge from the very heart of the profession, as is the case with the launch of these Y’ello Press Awards,” he said.

The initiative will “uphold and preserve the full meaning of press freedom,” which he called “one of the essential pillars of democracy and the rule of law.”

Meanwhile, Jean Melvin Akam, General Manager of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs at MTN Cameroon said the awards are the second part of a partnership with FEDIPRESSE signed two years ago.

“Why is MTN interested in FEDIPRESSE and the print media? It is because we understand that the destiny of the print media in Cameroon is to constantly reinvent itself,” Akam said.

He said print media led Cameroon’s democratization in the 1990s but “failed to adapt to the change brought about by the liberalization of the audiovisual sector. Radio announces, television shows, and the print media must explain,” he said.

The digital age moved readers to social networks where “information is no longer processed by journalists, but delivered by whistleblowers.” Yet this flood of fake news “underscores the urgent need for the resurrection of journalism.”

In its remarks, the FEDIPRESSE representative said the “challenge of content” is critical in the digital era.

“The quality of journalistic production is decisive for the press face to the challenge imposed by whistleblowers and internet users who, by the power of the tweet or post, become producers of information,” the federation said.

“The reconquest of readership is based on a quality offer, the return to fundamentals and resistance to social media journalism which publishes without cross-checking, announces without verifying.”

FEDIPRESSE Representative said it hopes the Y’ello Press Awards will “participate in raising the quality of journalistic productions through healthy competition between print newsrooms.”

“Africa’s future will be digital, yes. But it must also be informed, inclusive and trusted,” Matandela concluded. “At MTN, we are committed to build tomorrow today.”

Categories, eligibility, and deadlines for the Y’ello Press Awards 2026 will be announced later.

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