Africa Research Writing Prize 2025 Honoree: Mide Alabi

Hello everyone. This is about a month or so overdue, but I thought to share this with my community as well, especially as it involves some of the writing I share with you here.

I recently emerged as one of the honorees of the 2025 edition of the Africa Research Writing Prize organized by Column Content.

I was sent the link to the initial call for entries in early July by a friend of mine, but I quickly forgot about it.

Nearing the deadline for submissions, we met by chance, and he asked me if I had submitted an entry, to which I replied in the negative.

After some back and forth, I submitted an essay on green energy, which I had written a couple of months prior at that point but had remained unpublished.

The essay explored something I’d spoken about often in conversations I had with energy stakeholders: the green energy transition and its hidden costs. I wrote about how, in the rush to build massive renewable projects, host communities often get left behind, a lot of times bearing the burden without seeing real benefits in return.

As fate would have it, it became one of the successful entries.

My gratitude goes to God first and foremost, my family, Column, the organizers of the competition, my friends, and also to you reading this right now.

Thank you all for supporting my work, and by God’s grace, I’m certain that this is the first recognition of many.

If you’re interested in reading my entry, you can do so here