(Press release)
Twelve years after the assassination of Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon in Kidal, northern Mali, RFI awarded the scholarship bearing their names on Sunday, November 2, in Senegal, to Carine KOGNE, a journalist at Radio Ndarason International in Maroua (Cameroon), and Johannes Amos KODJO, a sound engineer at Radio Kiff FM in Cotonou (Benin). They will receive four weeks of training in Paris, fully funded, during the first quarter of 2026. The names of the two winners were announced today during a ceremony held in Dakar.
This twelfth edition of the Scholarship, open to 25 French-speaking African countries*, was organized in Senegal. Ten young professionals (five reporting technicians and five journalists) from eight countries were selected from among 245 applicants. All of them received training at France Médias Monde's Hub in Dakar, delivered over two weeks by Rachel Locatelli, head of training at RFI, and Chantal Lorho, deputy editor-in-chief at RFI.
At the end of the training, the aspiring journalists were asked to produce a report on the theme of "Dialogue and tolerance," while the aspiring technicians prepared an audio report on "income-generating activities in Senegal."
The winners were chosen unanimously by the jury:
Carine KOGNE, 25, a journalism graduate from ESSTIC in Yaoundé, is a journalist at Radio Ndarason International in Maroua. She produced a report entitled "Gorée, symbol of religious coexistence," highlighting the harmony between Christians and Muslims on the island of Gorée. The jury praised the report's well-structured composition, the diversity of its atmospheres and interviewees, and the quality of its writing.
Johannes Amos KODJO, 31, holds a bachelor's degree in Audiovisual Studies from ESAE and works as a sound technician at KIFF FM in Cotonou. He produced a feature entitled "Eva, stylist 2.0," about a designer who combines fashion and digital innovation. The jury praised the quality of the sound recording and mixing, the relevance of the subject, and the skillful production.
The reports by the two scholarship winners will be available starting Monday, November 3, on "Afrique matin" on RFI and on rfi.fr.
For its part, the Association des Amis de Ghislaine Dupont et Claude Verlon (Friends of Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon Association) rewarded two deserving candidates by offering them professional recording equipment. They are Demba Sarr (Senegal), 34, a technician at RTS in the Kaffrine region (Senegal), and Adjoua Marie-Christelle Kouamé (Ivory Coast), 31, a journalist at Abobo FM in Abidjan.
The jury was chaired by Jean-Marc Four, director of RFI, and comprised Benjamin Avayou, deputy head of Mobile and Video Resources at RFI; Timbi Bah, editor-in-chief of RFI Fulfulde; Yacine Diagne, doctor, lecturer-researcher at CESTI and head of the radio department; Vincent Hugeux, senior reporter and lecturer at the Sciences Po School of Journalism; Cécile Mégie, director of cross-functional editorial strategies and cooperation at France Médias Monde; Stéphanie Rabourdin, deputy director of the INA Campus General Management; Sarah Sakho, France 24 correspondent in Dakar; and Léa-Lisa Westerhoff, RFI permanent special correspondent in Dakar.
The two trainers, Chantal Lorho, deputy editor-in-chief at RFI, Rachel Locatelli, head of internal training at RFI, and Daniele Gonod, president of the Association des Amis de Ghislaine Dupont et de Claude Verlon, also attended the deliberation sessions.
* Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Seychelles, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, and Rwanda.