The Managing Editor of Development Reporting Newspaper, Christiana Alabi-Akande, has been selected for the sixth Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP) Fellowship.
Development Reporting Services Ltd is the publisher of DevReporting, a newly established online newspaper that focuses on development issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The platform’s pioneer Managing Editor was selected for the FRLP fellowship alongside eleven other female journalists from a competitive pool of 160 applicants.
In 2014, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) initiated the Report Women programme to increase the quality and quantum of reports on girls and women in Nigeria.
As part of the initiative, the FRLP Fellowship was introduced in 2017 to mobilise a network of female journalists who are oriented for leadership and a train-the-trainer approach to better appreciate mainstreaming gender issues in news reporting.
The overall objective is to build female journalists’ capacities to emerge at the highest leadership roles in their media houses by equipping them with the required skills, finesse, and tools.
Announcement
A statement issued by the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, revealed that over the past decade, the organisation has trained 537 journalists across Nigeria and Ghana.
She added that the centre has also supported 136 stories and 138 leadership projects, published six researches on women’s representation in the media, produced six documentaries, launched a female experts’ source guide, and engaged newsrooms on the leadership of women in the news and newsrooms.
Mrs Alaka further disclosed that the FRLP has since its inception, produced 86 fellows across five cohorts, and driven intentional efforts to place more women in leadership positions within newsrooms and the news.
She highlighted that through intensive training and mentoring, the sixth edition of the FRLP fellowship will equip participants with the skills to advocate for improved leadership status for women in the news, newsrooms, and society.
According to her, the fellowship and the broader Report Women! News and Newsroom Engagement, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is designed to engage the management and staff of news media organisations in Nigeria and across Africa to increase the representation of women in news coverage, newsroom leadership, and as sources of news.
About Alabi-Akande
Mrs Alabi-Akande, a holder of a postgraduate diploma certificate in Mass Communication, was the best-graduating student in Mass Communication at the Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna, in 2008, where she had her Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate.
She worked with Daily Trust Newspaper between 2010 and 2022, covering various beats including education, health, technology, gender, children, women, and commerce, and was the newspaper’s correspondent at both the Kaduna State House of Assembly and the Lagos State House at different times.
She is also a recipient of multiple awards, including the “Courage in Journalism” and “2016 Journalist of the Year Award” by the Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), Mrs Alabi-Akande is passionate about storytelling, humanitarian service, and driving impactful change through her work. Her proficiency in English, Hausa, and Yoruba, combined with her digital marketing skills, makes her a versatile and dynamic media professional.
Other fellows
The select journalists are Melony Ishola, Head of Programmes, Video Unit, PUNCH; Aisha Gambo, Senior Correspondent, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN); Jemilat Nasiru, Staff Writer, TheCable; Juliet Buna, reporter and editor, Crest 91.1FM; Bilkis Lawal, reporter and editor, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (Bond FM); and Rasheedat Iliyas, Manager, News and Current Affairs, Radio Nigeria Harmony FM.
Others are Temitope Obayendo, Online Editor, Pharmanews; Mary Agidi, Features and Opinion Writer, The Hope; Dana Zagi, Gender Lead, Media Trust Group; Chigozie Victor, Senior Editor, Zikoko Citizen, Big Cabal Media; Christiana Alabi-Akande, Managing Editor, Development Reporting Service; and Gloria Attah, news anchor and reporter, Clearview Television.
