The Centre for Community and Oceanic Law proudly congratulates veteran journalist Paul Ejime for winning the keenly contested Print Journalism Award at the Maiden ECOWAS Journalists Excellence Awards, held in Banjul, The Gambia, on 25 July 2025.
As ECOWAS marks 50 years of existence, the regional bloc took a historic step by recognising journalists whose reporting has strengthened regional integration, peace, and development. Among those honoured, Paul Ejime stood out – clinching the award in the Print Journalism category.
Ejime is a highly motivated, results-oriented British Chevening Journalism/Media and Communications scholar, with more than four decades of progressive professional experience and a proven track record. His areas of specialisation include editorial content development, governance and corporate communication strategies, research, mentoring young professionals, and workshop/seminar facilitation.
A Global Affairs Analyst and former War Correspondent, Ejime has provided election operations, Media and Communications services to national and international organisations, including the ECOWAS Commission, ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), European Union (EU), the World Health Organization, the German International Development Agency, GIZ, the Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria.
Ejime’s professional career from 1983 includes working with the French wire service AFP, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Pan-African News Agency (PANAPRESS) based in Dakar, and as a news stringer for the BBC and VOA.
He has also served as Media and Communications Specialist to the ECOWAS Commission and the UN World Health Organization’s African Programme for Onchocerciasis (river blindness) Control (WHO/APOC), based in Burkina Faso.
As a pioneer Senior Advisor, Communications and Advocacy to ECONEC, Ejime published Activities in Support of Credible Elections in West Africa 2017-2019, the first such document on the activities of Election Management Bodies in the region.
He has facilitated regional training/workshops on the role of the media in promoting peace and security, and professional reporting of elections in West Africa and produced A Decade of ECOWAS Electoral Assistance in West Africa 2006-2016. Ejime developed the Communications Strategy and Action Plan for the ECOWAS-EU Peace & Security Project (EU-ECOWAS PSS Project), and implemented the Project Communications and Visibility Enhancement activities.
He was among the 10 journalists embedded in the ECOWAS Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) during the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and also reported on the Nigeria-Cameroon Bakassi Conflict in 1994.
In 2021, Ejime served as External Evaluator for the implementation of Project TSERR (Transitional Support to the ECOWAS Regional Radio) and also developed the Sustainability Action Plan for the Operationalisation of the Liberia-based Regional Radio.
As Communication/Publication Consultant to the ECOWAS Commission, Ejime edited the weekly ECHOES of ECOWAS, and led the conception and implementation of the communication plans for the ECOWAS Malaria Elimination Campaign and the Regional Response to the Ebola virus outbreak 2014-2015.
Ejime was the pioneer president of the Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents of Nigeria (NAFACOR), 1989-1991. He has pitched numerous feature articles, Op-Eds, and featured on various speaking and media platforms, shaping narratives on topical issues, including through his dedicated website pglobalmedia.com.
Ejime served as a EU Resource Person at the May 2024 “Abuja Road to Schuman Forum,” organised jointly by Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre and the European Delegation on Conflict Dynamics in West Africa …Strengthening Regional Partnerships.
Ejime has also undertaken professional study tours worldwide, including the USIA-sponsored Regional Project to the U.S. on “Decision Making in U.S. Foreign Policy” in 1993 and to Germany shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
He was part of the Nigerian Government’s delegation that toured Commonwealth countries as part of the campaign that culminated in the election of Chief Emeka Anyaoku as Africa’s first Commonwealth Secretary-General at CHOGM 1989 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Centre is convinced that Mr. Ejime’s body of work has long served as a mirror reflecting both the challenges and the triumphs of the West African region. His reporting weaves human stories into policy frameworks, making the work of ECOWAS real and relatable to the ordinary citizen.
From peacekeeping in Liberia and Sierra Leone to democratic transitions in West African capitals, Paul has covered it all with depth, empathy, and professional integrity.
This award is a fitting recognition of decades of consistent excellence. It affirms what many already know: Paul Ejime is not only a journalist – he is a public intellectual and regional conscience, whose commentaries on activities relating to ECOWAS reverberate across the global landscape.
At the Centre for Community Law, we believe in the power of journalism to shape societies. Ejime’s work exemplifies the role of the media in holding institutions accountable, amplifying citizen voices, and championing good governance. As ECOWAS deepens its commitment to democracy, peace, and unity, voices like his will remain essential.
The management of the Centre is therefore elated to celebrate a seasoned journalist who has consistently committed to the cause of ECOWAS and its citizens, in both peacetime and wartime. We celebrate Mr. Ejime, who has been very supportive of the Centre for Community and Oceanic Law, not just for winning this prestigious award, but for reminding us of journalism’s highest calling: to serve the people.
Congratulations, Mr Ejime! Your achievement inspires a new generation of journalists and civic voices across the region.
The article was first published on 28 July 2025 (Celebrating Paul Ejime: A Champion of West African Journalism and ECOWAS Integration | Gutener Charity NGO)
