The 9mobile Prize for Literature is set to announce the 2018 winner of the prize, this is coming 18months after the shortlist was announced.
Formerly known as the Etisalat Prize for Literature, and founded in 2012 by the telecommunications company, Etisalat, the prize is worth £15,000 and it is awarded to the best debut novel by an African writer.
The prize which has seen rough times, most likely because of the debt crisis that saw the demise of its original founders, and the unavoidable change of ownership, will see light again as the new ownership has declared its commitment to redeem the prize. This is coming after a series of calls for the prize to be revived and sustained.
In January 2018 a shortlist of three was announced; Nigeria’s Lesley Nneka Arimah for “What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky”; Nigeria’s Ayobami Adebayo for “Stay with Me”; and South Africa’s Marcus Low for “Asylum”.
Previous winners of the prize include; NoViolet Bulawayo (2014), Fiston Mwanza Mujila (2016), Jowhor Ile (2017), amongst others.
