Condia’s Joseph Olaoluwa wins NMMA Capital Market Reporter of the Year award

Condia’s acting managing editor and journalist, Joseph Olaoluwa, has been named Capital Market Reporter of the Year at the 2025 Nigerian Media Merit Awards (NMMA).

Olaoluwa emerged winner ahead of The Guardian’s Helen Akuabia Oji, whose two entries were shortlisted in the category.

His winning report, “Should Nigeria’s startups consider listing on its stock exchange?” interrogates Nigeria’s push to attract tech startups to the NGX Tech Board amid a bullish stock market.

The story examines how concerns over public scrutiny, low trust in local capital markets, and cautionary IPO outcomes have kept leading startups wary of listing, despite regulatory incentives and sustained outreach from the NGX leadership. The piece highlights a widening disconnect between Nigeria’s fast-growing tech ecosystem and its public markets.

For Condia, this award is a testament to the hard-hitting journalism that it has produced ever since the publication rebranded from its former identity, Benjamindada.com, to Condia in October 2024. It is the first tech publication in Nigeria to ever win an NMMA award, and a continuation of editorial excellence that saw the media house clinch a recognition in July 2025 for its contribution towards fostering an inclusive tech ecosystem.

Commenting on the selection process, Dele Adetiba, Trustee and Chairman of the NMMA Eminent Panel of Assessors, said about 800 entries were received this year and assessed by panels drawn from academia and the media industry. He stressed the panel’s commitment to transparency and fairness in the judging process.

Joseph Olaoluwa is a multi-award-winning writer and editor with interests spanning business, capital markets, and investigative reporting. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University and a Master’s degree from Lagos State University, both in English Language and Literature.

He has previously served as an online correspondent for The Nation newspapers and has written op-eds and features for outlets including Nigerian Standard, Sahara Reporters, Qwenu, and Today News Africa. In 2017, he was selected as one of 20 fellows for the International Centre for Investigative Journalism (ICIR) Reporting Fellowship, and in 2018 participated in an EU-SDG–sponsored media training on election reporting.

Currently, Olaoluwa delivers business, technology, and investigative stories at Condia. His work has appeared in The Nation, Ripples Nigeria, Pulse Nigeria, The Cable, Punch, ICIR Nigeria, Nairametrics, and TechCabal; featuring on Rest of World and IJNet.