The 2023 Inequalities Reporting Fellowship of the Africa Centre for Development Journalism (ACDJ) has commenced with a 2-day training workshop held on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 November 2023 with 12 journalists participating. The entire fellowship entails the two-day training, mentorship and implementation of a special fellowship report on a range of inequality themes having received a reporting grant from the ACDJ.
The training provided the participants with relevant skills and knowledge in multiple topics taught by an expert faculty that included Rita Okonoboh, former News Editor, TheCable and University of Ibadan Lecturer; Dayo Aiyetan, Executive Director, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR); and Lekan Otufodunrin, Executive Director, Media Career Services. Others are Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA); and Rotimi Sankore, Executive Director/Editor-in-Chief, ACDJ.
The 12 selected journalists emerged following a public application call and careful review of 374 applicants from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The selected journalists are from: Arise News, Nigerian Tribune, Daily Trust Newspaper, The Guardian Newspaper, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) – Radio One, The Eagleonline, ThisDay Newspaper, Forbes Africa, Ripples Nigeria, Punch Newspaper, Vanguard Newspaper and Voice of Nigeria.
The Inequalities Reporting Fellowship is building the capacity of journalists to report on inequalities at sub-national levels. The fellowship is an activity under ACDJ’s Sub-national Development Data Accountability Reporting Project focused on inequality, underdevelopment, policy and governance. The project which is part of a Collaborative Media Partnership Supported by the MacArthur Foundation through the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism had the inaugural edition in 2022 with 8 fellows emerging.
The Fellowship commencement follows closely on heels of the 2023 ACDJ World Development Information Day Lecture held on October 31 at which the keynote speaker the UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria Matthias Schmale stated that “Storytelling is the media’s strength. By telling the stories behind the statistics, you can help mobilize support for solutions to development challenges, which are ultimately the challenges citizens have to overcome to live more fulfilling and dignified lives.”
He also underlined that “The Nigerian public must be well-informed about the objectives of the 2030 Global Goals Agenda, the role of the Federal and State Governments in achieving the goals, the benefits of pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the Nigerian people, the struggles at the halfway point, and the outcomes of the recent United Nations Global SDG Summit.”
