The Caine Prize for African Writing has unveiled the eight outstanding African writers selected for its 2025 Online Editing Programme—a 12-week initiative designed to nurture and elevate emerging voices in African fiction—and the list includes JAY Lit content writer and peer reviewer, Bongiwe Maphosa.
The programme is tailored at providing structured support to selected emerging African writers through one-to-one guidance, group workshops and written feedback enabling writers to develop new short stories from draft to publication-ready standard.
The full list of selected writers and their countries are:
- Mariam Sule (Nigeria)
- Hassan Kassim (Kenya)
- Bono Sigudu (South Africa)
- Nadia Ahidjo (Cameroon)
- Sabrina Moella (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Ally Baharoon (Tanzania)
- Denoo Edinam Yawo (Ghana)
- Bongiwe Maphosa (Zimbabwe)
Throughout the programme, participants will gain hands-on experience in editing, acquire valuable industry insights, and have the opportunity to build lasting connections with fellow African writers. They will also take part in interactive Q&A sessions and masterclasses led by influential voices in contemporary literature.
Congratulations to Bongiwe and all other selected writers!
Sarah Adeyemo
Sarah Adeyemo is a poet, writer, editor, and spoken word artiste from Nigeria. She is a fellow of the SprinNG Writing Fellowship. Sarah has work published or forthcoming work in ANMLY Lit, D’Iit Review, The Fiery Scribe Review, Con-Scio Magazine, Sevhage Review, Okiti Literary, Synchronized Chaos Magazine, Pepper Coast Magazine, The Weeds Review, Akpata Magazine, The Shallow Tales Review, The Muse Journal, The Weganda Review, Everscribe Magazine, Afrillhill Press, TV-63 Magazine, Poems for Persons Interest, Northern Writers Forum Journal, Eboquills, Rinna Lit. Anthologies, and elsewhere. Her works have been shortlisted for the 2025 Labari Prize for Poetry and longlisted for the 2025 Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize. She serves as the Managing Editor at Words-Empire Magazine, a Poetry Editor at Yarnz Magazine, PFPOI, and a News & Feature writer at the Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit). She was a writing resident of the Rongo Artist Residency in 2026 and is currently a writing resident at the Ebedi International Writers Residency. She is a member of The Swan Collective. A dramatic poet who tweets @sarahinkspires.
