The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has announced a new leadership structure to drive the next phase of growth, appointing Akintunde Babatunde as Executive Director and promoting Adebimpe Abodunde to the role of Director of Operations.
The appointments, approved by CJID’s Board of Directors chaired by the Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Kashere, Umaru Pate, a professor, took effect from February 2025.
In his new role as Executive Director, Mr Babatunde will be in charge of steering the organisation’s overall strategy and will report directly to CJID’s Chief Executive Officer, Dapo Olorunyomi.
Mr Olorunyomi in a statement on Tuesday noted that Mr Babatunde’s elevation from Director of Programmes, a position through which he demonstrated strong leadership and deep commitment to CJID’s mission of advancing journalism and development.
He also stated that Ms Abodunde, who has been acting as Director of Operations, will now formally take up the role and lead day-to-day operations across the offices under the Executive Director’s leadership.
About Mr Babatunde
Mr Babatunde joined CJID as a programme associate in 2017 shortly after completing his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and has since been a driving force behind impactful initiatives across 12 African countries.
He was instrumental in launching DUBAWA, the Centre’s fact-checking platform now running in eight countries. He also played a key role in establishing the Natural Resource and Climate Change Reporting Unit (NAREP) and the UDEME social accountability project, fostering crucial reporting in these vital areas.
In addition, he was instrumental in launching CJID’s Digital Technology, AI, and Information Disorder Analysis Centre (DAIDAC), a leading regional entity tackling disinformation and foreign interference in West Africa using open-source intelligence tools.
His work has earned him international recognition. He was named a UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Ambassador for Africa in 2019 and received a Chevening Scholarship in 2020 to study at the University of Sussex, where he earned a distinction in his Master’s Degree focusing on Media Practice for Development and Social Change.
Mr Babatunde was selected as a Mandela Washington Fellow in 2022 and, more recently, in January 2025, he was recognised as a Media Transformation Challenge Fellow at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. His insights have been shared at prominent global platforms like the European Parliament and the New York Times Climate Hub.
About Ms Abodunde
Ms Abodunde, now confirmed as Director of Operations, brings a solid background in finance, management, and strategic partnerships. She joined CJID in February 2019, became Human Resource Manager in 2020, and stepped into the Operations Lead role in February 2023. She has also made significant contributions to events and project management at CJID’s sister organisation, Premium Times.
An accomplished professional, Ms Abodunde holds a first-class degree in Sociology, a Master’s in Management from Durham Business School in the UK, and a postgraduate diploma in Innovation and Design Thinking combined taught by MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School Executive Education and Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, USA.
Her earlier career includes roles in tax advisory and assurance at Deloitte Africa and business development at O2 Telefonica in the UK. She holds a Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Business School Netherlands and ACCA certifications in International Financial Reporting Standards, International Auditing, Public Sector Accounting, and Data Analytics.
CJID
Founded in 2014, CJID has grown into one of Africa’s leading media think tanks and technology institutions dedicated to strengthening investigative journalism, promoting media literacy, and fostering democratic accountability across the continent.
“With a growing presence in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Senegal, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and beyond, CJID empowers journalists as defenders of the values of democracy, actively combat disinformation, advances social and electoral accountability and strongly advocates for press freedom.
“These strategic appointments reflect CJID’s deep commitment to nurturing leaders who possess both technical expertise and an unwavering dedication to democratic principles. Akintunde and Abodunde truly embody the core of our mission: to elevate journalism as a vital pillar of democracy and a cornerstone of development across Africa,” Mr Olorunyomi said.
