After a 3 month training and selection program Climate Tracker has awarded 12 emerging young climate journalists with Investigative fellowships to uncover the stories behind Africa’s sustainable energy challenge.
Energy is at the core of sustainable development. Without it, good luck keeping your hospitals and small businesses running. Good luck encouraging local manufacturing jobs and international investment. And no chance you’ll be able to maintain digital schools that teach kids the skills they need to thrive in the 21st Century. Even at the most basic level, good taking a shower.
And this challenge has never been easy. While many African countries have closed the energy gap in their rapidly developing big cities, the challenge remains nationwide connectivity. In a country like Zimbabwe, close to 80% of Harare’s residents have electricity running through their houses and apartments. It’s terribly unreliable, and most businesses rely on the angry roar of diesel generators. But they are connected to the grid. Once you’re outside the big cities though, less than one fifth of the population can switch on the lights. Oh, and that’s where most people happen to live.
The true challenge today is whether you can create not only consistent, universal energy, but sustainable energy. And this is a hurdle many governments are resistant to jump over. The relative cost and infrastructure challenges of renewable energy systems make them a rare first choice for many cash-strapped administrations.
To change this, we believe we need to invest in emerging storytellers across the continent. These young reporters are not only the future of their country’s media, but the voices of its energy narrative. They are the ones who will question government investments and NGO recommendations alike. And they are the ones who have the chance to frame their nation’s energy debate.
After an extensive online learning program supported by Hivos Energy, these 12 emerging reporters are now ready to investigate some of the biggest national energy challenges across Africa.
These journalists are truly impressive and we look forward to the powerful stories they will publish.
Please click on “Read More” below each Fellow to check out their published story!
Oladeinde Olawoyin, Nigeria
He is passionate about telling hidden stories of Climate, Environment and Development as they affect underprivileged people across Africa. Oladeinde is a first class graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. Lagos-based development-focused journalist open to collaborations that would impact humanity and make the world a better place to live. READ MORE
Niyi Oyedeji, Nigeria
Niyi Oyedeji is a young journalist of many paths, who believes in solving issues in the society through his reportages. He currently works with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) Abuja, after spending over two years at the Nigerian Tribune Newspaper. His work revolves around Education, Climate Change, Global Health, Gender, Fact-checking, Development and Humanitarian issues. READ MORE
Charles Pensulo, Malawi
Charles Pensulo is a freelance Journalist based in Malawi with a passion for environmental and climate change stories especially how these affect ordinary people including women and children in a society.
An avid reader and social media junky, he also likes to hike and visit new places. READ MORE
Amos Abba, Nigeria
Amos is an investigative journalist with The International Center for Investigative Reporting(ICIR) Abuja.He currently reports on the oil and gas sector with a special focus on how the activities of the oil industry in Nigeria impacts the environment. In 2019, Amos was shortlisted for the Thomson Reuters Foundation Young Journalist Awards and was also a finalist for the prestigious Kurt Schork International Journalism awards. He is a second runner – up at the inaugural Fetisov Journalism Awards, in Luzern, Switzerland in the environmental journalism category. Amos is passionate about solution journalism. READ MORE
Jennifer Ugwa, Nigeria
Jennifer is a freelance investigative journalist. She has written quite a number of reports on Nigeria/World politics, Business, Human/Child Rights, and effects of government policies on the environment as it impacts climate change. Jennifer believes that little drops make an ocean and through her reports hold state and nonstate actors accountable. A die-hard optimist, she might be caught singing out loud when she is not writing or on a flight! READ MORE
Daniel Samson, Tanzania
Daniel Samson is a data Journalist in Tanzania. He specializes in business, environment, education and data reporting. He holds a B.A in Journalism from the University of Dar es Salaam and attended short courses on investigative and data journalism from Tanzania Media Fund (TMF) and Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA) Dedicated to reporting solution based digital stories that help people and businesses to make decisions. READ MORE
Ahmed Saba, Egypt
Ahmed Saba El-Lail is from Egypt. He is an award-winning journalist and has published many articles on environmental, climate, energy and water issues. He is the founder of the climate platform – Bel – and has been a participant in numerous fellowships and international programmes. Most recently, he was a candidate of the French Agency Programme for the Development of Media. READ MORE
Diana Taremwa Karakire, Uganda
Diana Taremwa Karakire is a freelance Journalist based in Uganda. She is passionate about environmental issues and writes on climate change, renewable energy, food security and human rights.
Her work has been published by Equal Times, Africa Business Magazine, Biofuels International Magazine and the Earth Journalism Network. READ MORE
Lungelo Ndhlovu, Nigeria
Lungelo Ndhlovu is a multiple-award winning international journalist based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He specialises in news writing, photography and video production, covering major news, features and local events for various media organisations. He also researches and writes about news stories on climate change, renewable energy on digital platforms and visual journalism. READ MORE
Noah Omuya, Uganda
Multimedia journalist from Uganda and the CEO for Aica Communications Ltd, a media company that runs an online website www.aica.co.ug.
He publishes articles that are predominantly focused on rural life and most of the stories are from the areas which receive less attention from the media. Noah is a two-time winner of the Media Challenge Awards in Uganda (2018- Best Feature Story award, 2019 – Best Climate Change Photography Award). READ MORE
Robert Kibet, Kenya
Robert Kibet is an athlete/athlete agent and a freelance journalist published at the Guardian UK, Inter Press Service (IPS), In Depth News (IDN), Equal Times, the New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN), News Deeply, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Deutsche Welle (DW), Ubuntu Times and Farm Radio International (FRI). READ MORE
Allan Mungai, Kenya
Allan is a journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya. He writes for The Standard – whether it is about the smuggling of migrants across Kenya or the abuse of government sanctioned logging. Some of his reporting on logging, climate change and drying rivers has contributed to policy changes. When he is not writing, Allan is scratching his head over his receding hairline. READ MORE.
Disclaimer: If you’re interested in our selection process, and how we ended up with this great group of emerging journalists, here’s a brief description on our process throughout.