Meet the JournalismAI Academy for Small Newsrooms SSA cohort
We are thrilled to introduce 20 exceptional professionals selected for the Sub-Saharan Africa Academy for Small Newsrooms, starting this September.
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our very first Sub-Saharan Africa Academy for Small Newsrooms programme, supported by the Google News Initiative. Beginning in early September, this new programme will bring together a diverse group of talented professionals from across the region to explore and implement innovative AI solutions tailored to their unique journalism challenges.
We received over 282 applications from across Sub-Saharan Africa, and we are proud to have selected 20 exceptional participants from 13 different countries. This inaugural cohort represents a wide range of small newsrooms, including digital media outlets, investigative journalism centres, and community-based publications. By focusing on these diverse newsrooms, we aim to demonstrate how AI can be harnessed to elevate their journalism practices and address their unique challenges.
This year’s focus on Sub-Saharan Africa follows our successful efforts in Latin America and the MENA region, where we hosted the academies in Spanish and Arabic, respectively. These programmes reflect our commitment to supporting newsrooms across diverse languages and regions.
Since 2021, the Academy has been a vital part of the JournalismAI initiative, helping newsroom professionals worldwide explore and implement AI technologies. Our focus on Sub-Saharan Africa highlights our dedication to empowering small newsrooms in the region and boosting their capacity for impactful journalism.
Thank you to everyone who applied, and congratulations to the selected participants. We look forward to starting this exciting journey and making a meaningful impact together!
Meet the participants:
🇪🇹Ethiopia
Beakal Teshome | Digital Editor and Head of Technology Department at The Reporter Ethiopia (Media and Communications Center)
Kindalem Mesfin Misale | Senior Mmedia Researcher and News Editor at African Renaissance Television Services (ARTS TV)
🇬🇭Ghana
Nii Marmah Boye| Broadcast Journalist at The Accra Times
🇰🇪Kenya
Felista Wangari | Editor at Africa Women Journalism Project
Anita Nkirote | Digital Lead at Hortinews
Omar Hemed | Director/Producer/Editor at Mtoto News
🇱🇸Lesotho
Billy Ntaote | Director and Investigative Journalist at MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism
🇲🇼Malawi
Collins Mtika | Managing Editor/Chief Investigative Journalist at the Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi
🇳🇦Namibia
Angie September | Senior Ssub-editor at Namibia Press Agency
🇳🇬Nigeria
Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi | Founder and Managing Editor at The Colonist Report Africa
Lateef Sanni | Communications Officer at DUBAWA
Olubusola Aro | Reporter at TheCable Newspaper
🇸🇱Sierra Leone
Emma Black Kamara | Managing Director at The STEAM Reporting Network
🇿🇦South Africa
Thapelo Lekabe | Production Jjournalist at the City Press
🇹🇿Tanzania
Kisali Simba | Senior Producer at the Mwanza Press Club
🇹🇬Togo
Ayaovi Dadzie | Journalist at Liberté
🇺🇬Uganda
Ruyange Jean-Fraterne | Executive Director at the Streaming Asylum
🇿🇼Zimbabwe
Douglas Ncube | Managing Editor at The Citizen Bulletin
Nkosikhona Dibiti | Executive Director at the Community Podium
Meet the Instructors
The JournalismAI initiative is honoured to have selected a distinguished network of experts in AI and journalism for this particular cohort. We are pleased to have these renowned professionals join us as instructors for this iteration of thee Academy.
Their deep expertise will be instrumental in guiding our participants to effectively integrate AI into their newsrooms. We are eager to see how their knowledge will drive innovation and enhance journalistic practices.
Let’s meet our exceptional lineup of instructors:
George Ogola
George is a Professor of Media Industries and the director of the PGT programmes in the Department of Cultural, Media and Visual Studies (CMVS) at the University of Nottingham.
Dr Bahareh Heravi
Bahareh is a Reader (Associate Professor) in AI & Media at the Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI.
Alastair Otter
Alastair is a co-founder of Media Hack Collective and editor of The Outlier.
Zenzele Ndebele
Zenzele is the Director of the Centre for Innovation and Technology.
Camilla Bath
Camilla is the Co-founder of Future Media Lab.
Stephanie (S.I) Ohumu
Stephanie (S.I) Ohumu is a Data Journalist at the Nutrition Integrated.
We’re excited to start the Sub-Saharan Africa Academy for Small Newsrooms. With the guidance of our instructors, we look forward to exploring new opportunities for growth and innovation in journalism across the region.