A Digital Right Advocacy Group, Paradigm Initiative, has announced the selection of two journalists, Damilola Adeniran from Nigeria and Rose ‘Matlhohonolofatso Moremoholo from Lesotho, for the 2019 Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship.
Mrs Tope Ogundipe, Director of Programmes at Paradigm Initiative, made this known in a statement in Lagos on Thursday.
She said that following an extensive selection process involving 261 applications from 39 countries, Paradigm Initiative was pleased to announce the two journalists.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports the Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship was designed to embed early-career media professionals in the digital rights and digital inclusion ecosystem in Africa,
Ogundipe said: “The Fellowship experience begins with a briefing session that connects Fellows with Paradigm Initiative’s team members.’’
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She said that the Paradigm Initiative team members were drawn from Cameroon (Francophone Africa), Nigeria (covering Anglophone West Africa), Tanzania (Eastern Africa), Togo and Zambia (Southern Africa).
Ogundipe said that the session would be followed by a tour of Paradigm Initiative’s Nigerian offices in Ajegunle, Yaba, Aba, Abuja and Kano.
According to her, it is to bring the Fellows closer to the issues and empower them as digital rights and inclusion champions during and after their Fellowship.
“Focusing on digital inclusion and digital rights, Fellows are immediately immersed into the work our organisation does in connecting youths in underserved communities to ICT-enabled opportunities and advocating their rights in the digital space,’’ she said.
Adeboye Adegoke, Paradigm Initiative’s Programme Manager on Digital Rights for Anglophone West Africa, said that the work of expanding digital access to underserved communities and advocating the digital rights of people across Africa had become very important.
According to him, in the light of their connections to the emergence of progressive, open and inclusive societies, little is known of what this work entails and public awareness of the work of advocates working in this field is poor.
“Our Media Fellows will work to help improve public awareness of the issues and raise the profile of digital inclusion and digital rights advocacy in Africa.
“Their tour of our Abuja office, focusing on digital rights, will deepen their appreciation of the work done by actors in the ecosystem, ‘’ Adegoke said.
Tosin Abolaji, Programme Manager, Digital Inclusion, said that by touring the organisation’s digital inclusion centres across Nigeria, the Fellows would experience the impact of work in improving the livelihoods of underserved youths in Nigeria through digital skills.
According to him, our 2019 Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellows are young and accomplished media professionals with a track record of impact in Africa.
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“Both 2019 Fellows, Damilola Adeniran and Rose ‘Matlhohonolofatso Moremoholo, are early-career media professionals.
“They have gained rich experiences in media practice and will benefit greatly from the Fellowship that runs from September 2019 to January 2020,’’ Abolaji said
The Paradigm Initiative Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship is an 18-week Fellowship programme.
The Fellowship connects media and practice, in order to reduce the gap between digital rights and inclusion actors and the media people who can help them amplify their works.
The Inaugural 2018 Fellowship saw two fellows, Victor Ekwealor (Nigeria) and Emmanuel Vitus (Togo), immersed in the ecosystem, touring our offices and authoring illuminating articles on the role digital rights and digital inclusion play in Africa, focusing on the work of Paradigm Initiative. (NAN)
