THE 2020 Nigeria Media Capacity Development Report has unveiled numerous opportunities for journalists practising in Africa’s most populous nation.
Such opportunities range from grants to awards that are available for Nigerian pen pushers.
At the launch of the report, media professionals, publishers, editors, and civil society organisations lent their voices on the need to strengthen the practice of journalism in the country.
The report entitled ‘Nigeria Media Capacity Development Report 2020’ was compiled by the Media Career Development Network (MDCN) and launched on Friday.
Giving his remark at the virtual launch of the report, Lekan Otufodunrin, executive director, MCDN, said the report was geared towards providing journalists with necessary information to boost their career and journalistic practice in the country.
He noted that the report was basically a catalogue database of opportunities in the media industry that would help enhance the career of journalists.
“This is a time journalists are going through a lot of challenges and they need a lot of support. This report has catalogued the database of media NGOs.
“Journalists will no longer have an excuse not to know but to maximise the support they can access to enhance their career.”
Dayo Aiyetan, executive director, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (The ICIR), commended the MCDN team for the initiative, adding that the report would not only open the eyes of the Nigerian journalists to the limitless opportunities in the industry but also help media NGOs to discover the areas of training that had not been covered.
“Colleagues often complain about lack of opportunities for journalists, but this report has proved that there are several opportunities for journalists, even in Nigeria.
“The significance is not just that it provides data about journalism, media career development and training programs, it will also help to discover the areas of training that have not been covered by media NGOs in Nigeria.”
Also speaking at the launch, Olayinka Oyegbile, a veteran journalist, said the report would help journalists and media practitioners in accessing relevant information on career development.
“The report will enable journalists to have access to the opportunities for training and fellowships that are available and most importantly, help them to build the relevant capacity ahead of the opportunities.”
Also present at the two-hour virtual launch were media professionals, proprietors and editors of media organisations, directors of media NGOs, young journalists as well as student journalists.
The Nigeria Media Capacity Development Report 2020 Overview
The Nigeria Media Capacity Development Report 2020, which is the brainwork of the MDCN, is said to be first of what will be an annual publication, documenting various programmes and activities held by media organisations and individuals.
The maiden edition launched compiled the programmes and activities held in 2020 by media organisations and media NGOs.
Notable among over 20 organisations whose programmes were catalogued in the report were; International Centre for Investigative Reporting (The ICIR), Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Reporting (WSCIJ), International Press Centre (IPC), Premium Times Centre for Investigative Reporting (PTCIJ) and African Women in Media (AWIM).
The report also contains feedbacks from participants and beneficiaries of the various programmes and projects, particularly on what they learnt and suggestions for improvement.Also included in the report were attestations by journalists who maximised the opportunities in 2020, student journalists’ reviews, awards, insightful interview quotes on capacity development by accomplished journalists, funders, database on media NGOs and support organisations and how people could maximise capacity development opportunities in 2021.
'Niyi worked with The ICIR as an Investigative Reporter and Fact-checker from 2020 till September 2022. You can shoot him an email via niyioyedeji1@gmail.com. You can as well follow him on Twitter via @niyi_oyedeji.