Policy Alert, together with We The People, has started the Nigeria Forest and Climate Journalism Fellowship. This program aims to improve investigative reporting on forest conservation, climate change, and environmental issues in Nigeria.
The fellowship was launched on Thursday in Calabar, Cross River State. This event took place during the fourth Multi-Stakeholder Conference on Deforestation. This annual meeting gathers government bodies, civil society groups, forest communities, researchers, journalists, and development partners to discuss ways to tackle Nigeria’s deforestation problem.
In a press release shared with PREMIUM TIMES, the organizers explained that the program aims to fill the gap in detailed reporting on deforestation's causes and effects. They will provide journalists with specialized training, editorial support, and reporting grants.
Nigeria is facing serious forest loss due to illegal logging, farming, mining, and poor governance. Experts warn that this situation is worsening climate change, loss of biodiversity, and environmental harm.
The fellowship will give selected journalists intensive training before they pitch their investigative stories. These stories can be for print, digital, broadcast, or infographic formats. The best proposals will be chosen through a competitive process.
According to the release, successful fellows will get reporting mini-grants and editorial guidance for field investigations across Nigeria. Their finished reports will be published by media organizations involved in the program and reviewed by an independent panel.
Top investigations will be honored at the fifth Multi-Stakeholder Conference on Deforestation in 2027.
During the launch, Tijah Bolton-Akpan, the Executive Director of Policy Alert, said that protecting Nigeria's forests is key to dealing with the climate crisis.
“Nigeria cannot effectively confront the climate crisis without protecting its forests. Forests are our natural climate infrastructure. They store carbon, manage water systems, support biodiversity, and provide for millions of livelihoods. Yet the stories behind their destruction often go untold,” he said.
Bolton-Akpan also stated that the fellowship will help journalists create investigations that reveal the causes of deforestation. It aims to highlight the voices of communities that depend on forests and improve public accountability regarding environmental issues.
Ken Henshaw, the Executive Director of We The People, also spoke at the event. He described journalism as a vital tool for protecting forests and advancing climate justice.
“The communities living closest to our forests are often the first to feel the effects of environmental damage, but their stories are rarely included in national discussions,” he said.
Henshaw added that the fellowship supports the annual Multi-Stakeholder Conference on Deforestation by funding journalism that links local forest loss experiences with national policies and global climate goals.
The organizers plan for this fellowship to be an annual program. It will help create a network of specialized environmental journalists while raising public awareness about the connections between forests, biodiversity, and climate justice.
Applications will be open to journalists working in print, broadcast, online, and multimedia platforms across Nigeria.
The organizers will announce details about eligibility, application dates, and submission processes on their websites in the coming weeks.
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