CJID Launches 2025 Empower Women in Media Cohort to Tackle Gender Gap in Nigerian Journalism

In a significant move to address gender disparity in Nigerian media, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has officially launched the 2025 Empower Women in Media Cohort through its Campus Reporter platform. The 2025 cohort has 22 promising female journalists from a competitive pool of approximately 100 applicants, marking the beginning of an intensive 10-week training initiative designed to reshape the future of journalism in Nigeria.

The initiative responds to alarming statistics about gender representation in Nigerian journalism. According to a 2020 Global Media Monitoring Report, only about 15% of reporters in Nigeria are female, while 85% are male. A study by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism further revealed that women hold merely 25.7% of leadership roles in the Nigerian journalism landscape. This stark imbalance exists despite women forming the majority of students in mass communication and media programs across the country.

“We are working to bridge the significant gap between education and professional representation for women in journalism,” said Iretomiwa Dele-Yusuff, the Project Officer of the Next Gen (Campus Reporter) project.

“This programme is designed not just to train female campus journalists but to make them accomplished professionals who have the ability to carry out impactful accountability reporting”, she said.

During the cohort’s onboarding meeting held on May 8, participants expressed their commitment to using journalism as a tool for social change. Many shared aspirations to give voice to marginalised groups and effect meaningful societal change through their reporting.

Peace Isama, a Mass Communication student from the University of Jos, is hopeful that the programme will expose her to ways she can make impact  through journalism. “I expect to learn more about the media ecosystem and to find my niche in journalism–where I can come in, what I can offer the society,” she said. She also believes that the programme will bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and industry realities.

Hawau Sylla, a participant from Ahmadu Bello University, added that she looks forward to “networking with like-minded young women and receiving mentorship from professionals in the field.”

The training schedule features weekly sessions every Tuesday from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, delivered by accomplished female journalists from leading media organisations. The comprehensive curriculum begins with Essentials of Basic News Reporting led by Iretomiwa Dele-Yusuff from CJID, followed by Understanding Journalism Ethics facilitated by Adenike Adebowale from Premium Times. 

Subsequent sessions include Digital and Mobile Journalism conducted by Titilope Fadare of SciDev.Net, Investigative Reporting presented by Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu from HumAngle, and Fact-Checking taught by Lois Ugbede from Dubawa.

The program will also cover Inclusive Reporting focused on gender, persons with disabilities, and children, led by Osaruonamen Ibizugbe from CJID, and will conclude with Data-Driven Storytelling facilitated by Adijat Kareem from Dataphyte. This carefully structured curriculum aims to equip participants with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

“The curriculum is designed to be comprehensive but practical,” explained Ms. Dele-Yusuff during the onboarding session. “We want participants to emerge with skills they can immediately apply to produce impactful journalism.”

The 2025 cohort builds on remarkable achievements from the inaugural 2024 program, which saw participants produce ten impactful accountability stories that brought critical issues to public attention.

One prominent success story from the 2024 cohort is Ndidiamaka Ede, who shared her experience during the onboarding session. Following her participation in the program, Ms. Ede secured a position at Premium Times and received multiple fellowship opportunities. 

Her investigative piece on market demolition in Enugu highlighted the plight of traders who received only 72 hours’ notice before losing their livelihoods, including the story of seven-year-old Perpetua who could no longer attend school after her parents’ business was destroyed.

Other notable investigations from previous participants covered various issues of public concern. Precious Akintulubo documented regular flooding in the Fibigbade community in Ogun state, resulting from an abandoned road project, while Olusegun Clarion reported on flooding in Magboro, Ogun state, highlighting the lack of government support despite community leaders’ pleas for assistance.

Stella Adeniyi and Fatimah Idera tackled period poverty among Nigerian students, exploring how rising pad prices and inadequate facilities affect female students’ education and dignity in tertiary institutions. Rosemary Iyaji documented the resilience of Monday market traders in Maiduguri who faced devastating losses from both fire outbreaks and floods, losing millions of naira in goods and struggling to rebuild their livelihoods.

The program’s impact extended beyond Nigeria’s borders when Mercy Afedzie investigated how unlawful agents extort unsuspecting house hunters in Ghana. Meanwhile, within Nigeria, Glorious Olajire examined declining youth participation in Nigerian protests, revealing how security force violence and economic hardship have deterred young people despite worsening living conditions.

The program emphasises practical outcomes, with participants expected to pitch and produce in-depth accountability reports focused on local issues within their immediate environment. Stories must be gender-balanced and inclusive, with collaboration between participants from different regions encouraged.

“We want stories that are relevant to your communities and address real issues affecting people,” Ms. Dele-Yusuff explained to participants. “The best stories will be published on the Campus Reporter website, with potential syndication to Premium Times.”

Dedicated female editors will provide editorial support, reviewing pitches and editing submitted stories to ensure they meet CJID and Premium Times publication standards. This editorial structure addresses a challenge faced in the previous cohort when facilitators had limited time to support participants during the story-writing process due to other responsibilities.

The initiative aims to produce at least 15 high-quality accountability stories this year, increase visibility for female campus journalists through their bylines, enhance professional skills among participants, and strengthen the pipeline of female talent entering the journalism workforce.

For participants who demonstrate exceptional commitment and skill, opportunities extend beyond publication. Three outstanding members of the 2024 cohort—Ndidiamaka Ede, Fatimah Idera, and Stella Adeniyi—were selected for the Next Gen Internship Programme, where they gained newsroom experience and mentorship from industry experts.

As the 2025 Empower Women in Media Cohort begins its journey, the initiative stands as a promising step toward a more balanced, representative, and impactful journalism landscape in Nigeria, nurturing female voices that might otherwise go unheard in the nation’s media.