New Narratives journalist recognized among five finalists continent-wide for exposing corruption in Liberia’s largest human trafficking case; winner to be announced November 11 in Nairobi.
Monrovia – Anthony Stephens, an award-winning journalist and lawyer with New Narratives, has become the first Liberian shortlisted for the prestigious African Investigative Journalist of the Year Award.
Stephens is one of five finalists selected from a record 204 entries submitted from across the continent for the 2026 award, now in its fourth year. He was recognized for his investigation, “The Corruption That Allows Liberia’s Human Traffickers to Stay Free to Exploit the Poorest Citizens,” which exposed an alleged US$7,000 bribe offered to derail prosecution in what became Liberia’s largest human trafficking case. His sustained coverage tracked the case from its initial exposure through trial, culminating in the unanimous conviction of all remaining defendants.
The other finalists are Folashade Ogunrinde and Oladehinde Olawoyin of Premium Times and The Examination, Nigeria, for an investigation into regulatory failures exposing residents to lead poisoning from battery recycling plants; Jeff Wicks of News24, South Africa, for a series tracing a tenderpreneur’s capture of a R360 million police tender; Naipanoi Lepapa of Kenya, working with Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten, for a cross-border investigation into the mishandling of footage from Meta’s smart glasses; and a reporter from South Africa’s amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism, for an exposé on organized crime’s capture of a billion-rand presidential rail project.
The award, run by the Wits Centre for Journalism and supported by Absa Africa, honors outstanding investigative reporting that reveals untold stories, holds the powerful to account, and serves the public interest. This year’s judging panel includes AIJC convener Beauregard Tromp of South Africa, press freedom advocate Gwen Lister of Namibia, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maggie Michael of Egypt, Zitamar News editor-at-large Fernando Lima of Mozambique, and veteran trainer Hamadou Tidiane Sy of Senegal.
The winner will be announced at a gala ceremony on November 11 in Nairobi, Kenya, during the African Investigative Journalism Conference. The top three finalists have been invited to attend.
At New Narratives, Stephens leads coverage of governance issues, including Liberia’s establishment of a war and economic crimes court. His reporting appears in FrontPage Africa and on Okay FM, as well as on NN partner radio stations nationwide. He also cohosts and produces Democracy in Focus, Liberia’s leading current affairs radio program and podcast, and trains journalists on transitional justice reporting.
His coverage of accountability for wartime atrocities has taken him abroad, including to Switzerland to cover the trial of Alieu Kosiah — the first trial and conviction anywhere of a perpetrator of war crimes committed during Liberia’s civil wars — and to Paris, France, to cover the 2022 trial and conviction of Kunti Kamara on war-related crimes charges.
Stephens has worked in Liberian media for 20 years, including stints at Power TV and FM, Star Radio, and Radio Veritas. He was a New Narratives fellow from 2015 before joining the organization full-time in 2022, and has completed training programs with the BBC, VOA, and the Thomson Reuters Foundation. He holds a law degree from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia and a BSc in Public Administration from the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in June 2017.
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