Nairobi, Kenya - Nigeria's Haliru Ali Musa has emerged as the winner of the inaugural Alexander Nderitu Prize for World Literature. The revelation was made on 4 April 2025 via The African Griot Review, an avant-garde arts magazine edited by the founder of the prestigious new prize. Haliru's beautifully structured and stylishly told story, The Pregnant Ghost, beat out 71 other entries. The young Nigerian makes a grand entry into the world of letters, given that he will receive a Kshs 100,000 (USD$ 770.00) cash prize, a one-year-long online marketing campaign, and have the option of agent representation by an Asian literary agency. The winning story has been published by The African Griot Review (Kenya) and will also appear The Asian Journal of Literature (Sri Lanka) later in the year.

Themed on ‘Peace’, the short story contest received entries from Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, The Kingdom of Eswatini, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Poland, Malawi, The Gambia, Sri Lanka, USA, Botswana and Tanzania.The jurors were Dr. Paula O. M. Otukile (Botswana), Camilla Bauer (Sweden), Henry Akubuiro (Nigeria), Rupasinghe D. Pramudith (Sri Lanka), and Alexander Nderitu (Kenya). Kenyan poet and critic Jacob Oketch also assisted in critiquing the entries. The submissions that made it to the longlist of ten were:

• The Pregnant Ghost - Haliru Ali Musa (Nigeria)
• Ethiopian Night - EvansonNjuki (Kenya)
• A New Dawn - Maina Mary Njeri (Kenya)
• Mortuary - Ekenedirichukwu Anselm Alita (Nigeria)
• Call of the Sandy Tombs - Kaluwe Haangala (Zambia)
• That Last Kiss - Erick Kitheka (Kenya)
• Mama Tekla’s Sunset - J.E.Sibi-Okumu (Kenya)
• Harmony’s Echo - Maria Kegode (Kenya)
• Peace - Buhlebethu Sukoluhle Mpofu (USA/Zimbabwe)
• Beauty’s in a Mark - Kagira George (Kenya)

Over the next couple of months, the longlist was whittled down to a shortlist of five contestants:

• Haliru Ali Musa
• Ekenedirichukwu Anselm Alita
• Kagira George
• Kaluwe Haangala
• J.E.Sibi-Okumu

In the end, Nigeria proved once again that it is the cultural powerhouse of the African continent. Commenting on the international contest, juror Pramudith D. Rupasinghe (a Laureate of the Golden Aster Prize for Global Literature) described the new award scheme as:

‘A prize that certainly showcases Africa’s emergence in global literary scene…Africa’s has always been the cradle for human stories; the continent’s wordsmiths have reached the global stage in spite of scarce opportunities. The Alexander Nderitu Prize is more than an award; it’s a meeting point where the rich tapestry of African storytelling intersects with the global literary landscape, resulting in a powerful exchange of ideas and perspectives. The 2024 edition showcased the continent’s unmatched storytelling prowess, with writers crafting narratives of exceptional depth and complexity. The entries were living witness to how African writers who write in English use it to weave narratives steeped in the painful echoes of colonialism, their words imbued with anger, sorrow, and the fragile hope for a better future; sharing their stories with the world.’

The annual literary prize is named after its founder, Kenyan writer/critic Alexander Nderitu. In 2017, Business Daily newspaper named him one of Kenya’s ‘Top 40 Under 40 Men’. He is the recipient of multiple awards, including a SEVHAGE-Agema Founders’ Prize for African Criticism. He also hold the record for the most books published by an African author in one year.