Congolese journalist Franck Zongwe, a member of the Kilalopress newsroom, has been named among the 25 finalists of the first edition of the Stringer Prize, an international initiative launched by The Stringer Foundation. The selection was announced this weekend through a full-page publication in the International New York Times, presenting the shortlisted candidates chosen from nearly 800 applications submitted from various countries. This feature marks the program’s first major public communication.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, practicing journalism often means operating under persistent structural constraints. Connectivity challenges, difficulties accessing remote areas, and security concerns regularly limit coverage of certain forested territories, particularly those where natural resource-related activities are concentrated. These constraints deeply shape the conditions under which information is produced, especially in the field of environmental journalism.
It is within this context that the work of Franck Zongwe Lukama is situated, with his reporting exploring multiple dimensions of environmental dynamics in the DRC. His investigations focus in particular on mining supply chains and strategic resources linked to the global energy transition, in a country whose minerals play a central role in international markets.
His work also extends to forest governance issues in regions such as Équateur and Tshopo, where the dense forests of the Congo Basin play a critical role in global climate regulation. Logging activities, whether legal or illegal, remain a source of tension between economic imperatives, environmental protection, and the rights of local communities.
To this are added the dynamics linked to hydrocarbons, particularly in the coastal area of Muanda, where oil and gas operations raise growing environmental concerns. In several forest zones, wildlife crime constitutes another major dimension of environmental pressure, marked by the trafficking of protected species and the weakening of biodiversity.
These various realities illustrate the complexity of environmental challenges in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mining, forestry, energy, and biodiversity pressures intersect across often fragile territories. The country also holds a strategic position in international debates on climate and the energy transition. The DRC accounts for a major share of global cobalt production, a mineral essential for manufacturing electric batteries. According to widely cited international estimates, it represents around 70% of global supply.
In the eastern part of the country, particularly in North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Maniema, and Haut-Uele, these environmental issues overlap with dynamics of conflict, land pressure, and natural resource exploitation. In these areas, environmental journalists and local community rights defenders often work in precarious conditions, facing challenges of access, isolation, and sometimes security risks when documenting sensitive economic activities.
In its statement, The Stringer Foundation notes that Stringer Prize finalists were selected for the quality of their field reporting and their contribution to independent journalism in difficult environments. The award ceremony is scheduled for November and will bring together international journalists, press freedom advocates, and institutional partners. This selection places Lukama Zongwe Franck and Kilalopress within an international network of journalists engaged on environmental and social issues. It highlights the conditions under which a significant part of journalism is produced in Central Africa, at the intersection of climate, economic, and security challenges.
By Kilalopress