Liberian journalist, Samuka V. Konneh, has been selected as one of only twenty (20) finalists for The African Story Challenge competition (TASC). TASC is a new One Million US Dollars program of reporting grants to encourage innovative, multi-media storytelling that aims to improve the health and prosperity of Africans.

The Story Challenge is a project of the African Media Initiative (AMI), the continent's largest association of media owners and operators, in partnership with the International Center for Journalists.

Journalist Konneh, former News Editor of the Public Agenda newspaper in Monrovia, will be joining other African journalists in Nairobi, Kenya, for a week of StoryCamp beginning the 4th of August, 2013.

The Story Camp is intended to refine journalists' ideas and learn digital and data journalism tools to enhance their work and ensure maximum public engagement.

They also will receive grants and mentoring to complete the projects. After their broadcast or publication, an international panel of editors and media experts will judge the shortlisted twenty stories to select the competition winners, according to AMI.

The Liberian was selected out of a tense process, as confirmed by the competition's Facebook page. "Wow! The quality of entries in the Agriculture and Food Security cycle of the Story Challenge is impressive! There are so many amazing stories waiting to be told. Shortlisting just 20 finalists out of some 300 entries is proving quite a challenge in itself!!"

In all, 315 entries from across the continent were screened by a technical review panel that evaluated which ideas have the best potential to become top-quality stories on agriculture and food security, the first of five themed categories covered by the challenge. Other contest categories include disease prevention and treatment, maternal and child health, and business and technology.

"We are thrilled that we received so many fine ideas from journalists who want to tackle agriculture and food-related issues critical to their communities and the continent," said Story Challenge director Joseph Warungu in a statement issued last week in Kenya. Mr. Warungu worked for the BBC as Editor.

The two-year project encourages journalists to experiment with new content ideas and ways to engage audiences through mobile technology, social media and other innovative tools. It also aims to spur compelling, analytical, investigative and data-driven stories that lead to better policies, increase transparency and hold officials accountable.

For the Liberian journalist submitted a story theme on his country's agriculture and food security: 'From Grain Coast To Green Coast.'

In a statement issued over the weekend, Journalist Konneh said the competition has provided him and journalism in Liberia a whole continental opportunity to tell what he calls 'the Liberian story.'

He hopes to speak to Liberia's Finance Minister Amara Konneh and Deputy Finance Minister for Budget, Sebastian Muah, on government's financing strategy towards the agriculture sector, as well as Agriculture Minister Dr. Florence Chenoweth on the overall performance of the country's agriculture sector in achieving food security for its citizens.

He also hopes to speak with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on her government's medium and long terms strategies in improving the country's agriculture sector and in achieving food security.

Others include development partners involved in agriculture and food security like the USAID's Food & Enterprise Development (FED) program for Liberia and the Sustainable Market Initiatives' Building Markets program.

African journalists selected for the competition include Dayo Aiyetan, Daily Trust newspaper, Nigeria; Jonathan Akweteireho, Freelance, Uganda; Oluyinka Alawode, Business Day Media, Nigeria; Mabvuto Banda, Weekend Nation, Malawi; Joseph Burite, SMS Media, Uganda; Alex Chamwada, Citizen TV, Kenya; Elias Gebreselassie, newbusinessethiopia.com, Ethiopia; Anthony Kamba, New Nation Newspaper, South Sudan; Kouassi Selay Marius, Abidjan Live News, Ivory Coast; Wisdom Mdzungairi, Newsday Daily Newspaper, Zimbabwe; Mustapha El Mehdi, El Watan, Algeria; Billy Muiruri, Nation Media Group, Kenya; and Comfort Mussa, Freelance, Cameroon.

Still, others are Diana Neille, eNews Channel Africa, South Africa; Mildred Odongo, Freelance, Kenya; Bruno Sanogo, Freelance, Burkina Faso; Paul Monde Shalala, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, Zambia; and Nana Boakye Yiadom, Citi FM, Ghana.

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