CJID gives local media grants to boost newsrooms in Nigeria

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has named seven Nigerian media organisations as the first recipients of its Local Media Sustainability Fund (LMSF). This initiative aims to help local media in West Africa to be more sustainable in the long run.

This announcement comes at a tough time for journalism in the region. Many local media outfits face challenges like falling advertising income, changing audience habits, and the rise of global tech companies in the digital advertising space. Support for media development is also getting tighter. While funding has mainly focused on journalism projects and investigative work, less attention has been on strengthening the institutions that provide public-interest journalism. But this is crucial because independent journalism needs strong newsrooms to survive.

CJID started the Local Media Sustainability Fund to support journalism and ensure that newsrooms can stay strong, independent, and viable in the long term.

The first group of beneficiaries includes Development Reporting, FactsMatterNG, Development News Network (DNN News), Confiance News, Inside the Niger Delta, EduGist, and Sapientia International Media Centre. Together, these organisations show the variety in Nigeria’s independent media scene, serving communities with public-interest journalism on governance, democracy, development, education, and accountability.

The selection of these organisations followed CJID’s Media Sustainability Workshop in Lagos in April 2026. During the workshop, participating newsrooms learned about organisational resilience, financial management, audience development, governance, editorial independence, revenue diversification, and long-term planning.

Each organisation will get funding to produce public-interest journalism that focuses on human rights, democracy, and accountability. In addition to financial help, these organisations will join a three-month development programme. This programme includes coaching, technical support, mentorship, and access to experts in financial management, editorial leadership, communications, fundraising, governance, and organisational growth.

The Local Media Sustainability Programme aims to support impactful journalism while helping news organisations build the systems, leadership, and business models to remain sustainable. Throughout the pilot phase, these organisations will create newsroom sustainability plans with ongoing support from CJID.

The programme was first introduced during the launch of the CJID Openness Index in 2025. This was part of CJID’s larger goal to strengthen independent journalism and develop resilient media institutions across West Africa.

Dapo Olorunyomi, the CEO of CJID, stated that the future of journalism is closely linked to the future of democracy. He said, "The future of democracy depends not only on the quality of journalism we produce but also on the strength of the institutions that produce it. Across West Africa, local media are often the first to report issues affecting people's daily lives, hold officials accountable, and ensure communities are part of national discussions. Yet these organisations are also among the most financially vulnerable."

He added, "For too long, conversations about media support have focused primarily on content. That remains important, but strong journalism also requires strong institutions with good governance, sustainable business models, capable leadership, and the strength to handle political and economic pressures. Through the Local Media Sustainability Fund, CJID is investing in the long-term capacity of local newsrooms because protecting independent media is ultimately about protecting democratic societies."

The Local Media Sustainability Programme shows CJID’s commitment to building stronger media institutions. By providing funding alongside technical support and leadership development, CJID hopes to show that investing in local newsrooms is vital for the future of democracy in the region.

CJID’s Executive Director, Akintunde Babatunde, called the first group of beneficiaries a key step in a long-term plan to strengthen local journalism in West Africa. He said, "This programme is designed to go beyond standard newsroom grants. We are combining funding with structured support, mentorship, and organisational growth because sustainable journalism needs sustainable institutions.

This first group marks the start of what we see as a support system for local media in the area. Over five years, we aim to support at least 100 local and community media organisations across West Africa, helping them improve governance, diversify income, boost operational resilience, and remain independent while producing journalism that advances democracy and public participation."

The Southern Nigeria group is the first phase of the Fund’s rollout. A second group focusing on Northern Nigeria will be announced in November 2026, showing CJID’s step-by-step plan to build a national network of strong local media outfits.

The project is run by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria. This is part of efforts to strengthen independent media and support democracy.