By Yusuf Adua
The journalism and development space in Nigeria has a superpower, a sturdy one at that, which has consistently equipped journalists and development advocates with the needed professional lift exactly when they need it most. Call on The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), and the West African media innovation and development brain trust will appear. This time around, they are up for something huge!
Undoubtedly, the team has championed many firsts but the maiden West Africa Journalism Innovation Conference (WAJIC) set to hold between July 24 and 26, 2023 is an event everyone cannot wait to be in. CJID received a whopping of over 760 applications and had to look through its ears and nose before it could select less than half of the applicants to participate in the event.
“It is more than just a conference”, the body said in its congratulatory email to the successful applicants.
Only 300 delegates were chosen from the pool of journalists, media professionals, academics, policymakers, and government institutions that applied for the conference. They will be housed in a serene collaborative environment to brainstorm on how the development space will nurture innovation for a sustainable future.
“It’s a platform for collaboration, networking, and fostering meaningful connections that can transform the landscape of journalism in West Africa. So, we are happy to have you attend”, CJID got the successful applicants fired up and expectant.
What to expect?
#WAJIC23 will unravel with an Art Exhibition on the evening of 24th July. Thereafter, the conference will follow suit between the 25th and 26th at Abuja Continental Hotel, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria.
The powerful panellists
Expectedly, CJID has assembled key players in the media and development ecosystem that will drive discussions at the groundbreaking event.
Richard Gingras, the Vice President, News, at Google is the event’s Keynote Speaker while Rest of World’s Africa Editor, David Adeleke and Jake Epelle, the CEO/Founder of TAF Africa are members of the panel.
Kunle Adebajo who heads the investigations desk at HumAngle, Muheeb Saeed, a renowned journalist and civil society activist and Richard Gevers, the founder of Open Cities Lab, are also members of the panel.
Others include Samson Itodo, an experienced community organizer and development practitioner alongside Shamima Muslim, the founder and convenor of the Alliance for Women in Media Africa
(AWMA).
On Thursday, July 27, 2023, when all participants will be departing the event, everyone will have been fully loaded with adequate capacity to navigate the thorny journalism and development space in West Africa.