Grantee Wins Local Reporter Award for Sahel Gold Trade Investigation

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Nigerian journalist and Managing Editor of The Liberalist, Abdullah Tijani, won the 2026 Kurt Schork Local Reporter Award for his project The Gold Slaves of the Sahel.

The Pulitzer Center-supported project investigated the gold trade in Nigeria and Niger, documenting the worker exploitation, illegal mining, and terrorist organizations involved in the Sahel gold economy. 

The Kurt Schork Memorial Fund announced the winners on October 27, through a blog update on its website. 

The Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism recognize the best freelancers, local reporters, and news fixers of the year. They are named in honor of Kurt Schork, an American war correspondent who died on assignment in 2000. 

“The judges praised Abdullah Tijani’s outstanding bravery and indefatigable hard work in covering the plight of those forced to work in the illicit gold mining industry in Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria,” the announcement stated. 

The Local Reporter award is given to a reporter living and working in a developing nation, or a country in transition. The award committee recognized Tijani’s “powerful stories” and “distinctive voice” in his reporting. 

In a LinkedIn post, Tijani reflected on his project and the award. He thanked the Pulitzer Center for its support, as well as the resources provided through the Africa Mining Watch (AfMW) Mapathon. AfMW is a joint collaboration between the Pulitzer Center, Code for Africa, and Earth Genome to compile data and map the spread of illegal mining across Africa.

“This was one of the most difficult stories I have worked on—reporting in conflict-affected communities, speaking with victims, and tracing the networks behind the illicit gold trade. But I believed these were stories that needed to be told,” Tijani wrote. 

Tijani stated he was grateful for his sources, who trusted him with their stories, despite the risks attached. 

“Winning this award means a great deal to me, especially because it brings more attention to the people and communities whose experiences are at the heart of this investigation,” Tijani wrote.

For the past 20 years, the Pulitzer Center has been committed to supporting investigative journalism, with the Environment and Human Rights as two of our key focus areas. Beyond supporting travel and expenses for stories about illicit mining, the Pulitzer Center focuses on innovating tools for investigative journalists covering these topics. Read more about Africa Mining Watch, Amazon Mining Watch, and our coverage of extractive industries.