The Executive Director, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Motunrayo Alaka, and Dr Suleiman Yar’Adua of the Bayero University Kano alongside three others have been appointed by the Media Development Investment Funds (MDIF) as Nigeria Media Innovation Program (NAMIP) Advisory Committee.
Other appointees on the advisory board are Catherine Gicheru, Founder and Director, Africa Women Journalism Project, Nairobi, Kenya, Ruona Meyer, Africa Initiative Manager, Solutions Journalism Network and Adesubomi Plumptre, Partner Volition Capital.
MDIF, in at statement, says the appointment of the Nigerian team is to lead the Nigeria Media Innovation Program (NAMIP).
MDIF says the Nigeria Media Innovation Programme (NAMIP) is a 3-year initiative aimed at increasing capacity, generating sustainable and diverse revenue streams, and building audiences of independent media in Nigeria; particularly those reaching under-served communities.
The programme, launched in February 2022, seeks to assist the editorial independence of media organisations by strengthening their financial sustainability.
The committee is expected to guide NAMIP’s work, supporting editorial independence by strengthening financial resilience and sustainability, especially as it relates to enabling Nigerian media to increase their reach and provide higher quality news and information to more people.
Motunrayo Alaka leads the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism – the pioneer organisation promoting investigative reporting in Nigeria. Motunrayo Alaka is particularly excited about issues of communications development, social entrepreneurship, inclusive governance, gender mainstreaming and value-driven leadership.
Alaka led the inauguration of the Nigerian Network for Investigative Journalism in 2011. She has developed programmes, strategies, curriculums and harnessed resources in people, competences and funds in the last 10 years to directly train over 730 reporters; mentor at least 86, and influence the publication of about 170 human-angle reports across the Nigerian media on issues about girls and women, education, oil and gas, and electricity.
A passion for media excellence has also seen her initiate media monitoring on various issues. She was instrumental to the creation of the Report Women programme and its Female Reporters Leadership leg that has triggered discourses around gender issues in newsrooms.
She produced a documentary – Report Women: Untold Stories of Girls and Women in Nigeria which is available online. She serves as resource person for various organisations on research, communications, governance and development strategy.
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