45 journalists across four countries in West Africa have been shortlisted for the 2024 Digital Public Infrastructure Fellowship, organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and Co-Develop.
A statement by MFWA said the fellowship, which is the second phase, will see 45 media organisations in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo, increase public awareness and access to information on Digital Public Goods (DPGs).
It said the second phase builds on the foundation of the maiden edition and aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of the selected journalists in producing impactful stories on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Digital Public Goods (DPGs) while to promote and ensure that the uptake and adoption of DPI in West Africa is inclusive, safe and equitable.
“After a thorough selection process, the 45 fellows were selected from a pool of 291 applications received for the second phase of the prestigious Fellowship programme. The Fellows comprise 28 (62%) males and 17 (37%) females from Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo.”
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Newsroom participating in the fellowship in Nigeria includes; Daily Trust, The Punch, Leadership Newspaper, Premium Times, Radio Nigeria and News Agency of Nigeria, among others.
“The Fellowship will run from November 6, 2024 to January 31, 2025, with post-fellowship activities running till April 2025. The selected journalists will engage in multiple training sessions on DPI/DPGs and receive editorial support to produce in-depth and well-researched stories for publication or broadcast.”
It added that the selected fellows will have access to a dynamic dedicated DPI/DPGs website that provides more content on DPI/DPGs development in West Africa and Africa and also features impactful stories produced on DPI/DPGs from across the region.
“They will also have the opportunity to join an active national and regional network of DPI/DPG Journalism Fellowship Alumni.
“As a form of remuneration, each fellow will receive a monthly stipend of $250 for the first three months of the fellowship to support their participation. Their respective media organisations will also be supported with $1,000 under a DPI/DPGs Newsroom Partnership Programme to support editorial production and publication of DPI/DPG related stories.
“Fellows will also be eligible for DPI/DPGs Reporting Grants to support impactful reporting throughout the programme. Travel grants will also be available for top-performing DPI/DPG reporters to participate in international training sessions or conferences, which will further enhance their expertise on DPI/DPGs issues.”
It added that, “throughout the fellowship, each Fellow will be expected to produce at least two reports on DPI/DPGs each month and at least three compelling stories by the end of the Fellowship. Stories produced by the Fellows will be published on their respective news media organisations. Fellows who successfully complete the programme will receive a Certificate of Honour.”
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