Are you a young journalist or a fresh journalism graduate in Ghana looking to specialise in critical, fact-based, in-depth, and investigative reporting on Ghana’s electioneering processes?
Here is a unique opportunity for you!
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is accepting applications for the 4th edition of its Next Generation Investigative Journalism (NGIJ) Fellowship Programme. The Fellowship is an initiative to promote public interest and accountability journalism in West Africa through mentorship and training of young promising journalism graduates as well as bolster quality journalism that advances transparency and accountability in governance, and the promotion of human rights.
Under the programme, selected fellows will be hosted in Ghana for a three-month comprehensive mentorship with Fact-Check Ghana and The Fourth Estate, both MFWA’s public interest and accountability journalism projects made up of seasoned journalists. Fellows will receive intensive practical training to enable them to conduct critical, high-quality, fact-based in-depth, and enterprise reporting toward improving lives and promoting good governance through journalism excellence.
Fellows will also be supported to produce compelling investigative and fact-checking reports and will be expected to deliver at least one significant report each by the end of the programme. Fellows will receive a Certificate of Honour upon successful completion of the programme.
This year’s fellowship will be a three-month, non-residential programme. It will cover the period of September to November 2024. Aside from training on fact-checking and investigative reporting, there will also be specific training workshops focused on elections in Ghana and the electioneering processes. The fellows will build their ability to conduct investigations aimed at holding duty-bearers accountable, safeguarding Ghana’s 2024 elections and beyond, and amplifying the concerns of marginalised communities.
Eligibility criteria:
An applicant should be a young journalist or freshly graduated journalist from the ages of 20 to 30 years who has completed national service or is an entry-level journalist in a Ghanaian newsroom, whose schedules are flexible enough to allow for full participation in the fellowship in Accra, Ghana. Female journalists are highly encouraged to apply.
Applicants must be available to fully participate in the three-month fellowship, attend all in-person and virtual training sessions and carry out all assignments throughout the Fellowship duration.
Application Requirements
Interested journalists should submit:
- A letter of motivation stating why they want to participate in the fellowship (maximum of 250 words).
- A sample of published news article (print, tv, radio or online)
- A CV including two referees
- A copy of any national identification
Application Deadline
Applications should be sent to applicants[@]mfwa.org no later than August 15, 2024. Note: This call is open to journalists based in Ghana. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.