The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is inviting applications from experienced Nigerian editors with a proven track record of impactful reporting, mentoring and editorial leadership to serve as Editor for the next cohort of its Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Journalism Fellowship.
This cohort, which is exclusive to journalists in Nigeria, aims to increase public awareness, stimulate debates, foster inclusivity, and encourage participation and uptake of DPI and Digital Public Goods (DPG) issues in the country.
About the Digital Public Infrastructure Journalism Fellowship
The Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Journalism Fellowship, is a project of the MFWA, with funding support from, and in partnership with Co-Develop. The project seeks to empower media professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute effectively to the evolving digital landscape, ensuring that the benefits of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Digital Public Goods (DPGs) are widely understood and leveraged across West Africa.
Since its inception in 2023, the project has trained 65 journalists from 10 countries in the region. This has contributed to improved media coverage and broadened public discourse on DPI/DPGs through the production of over 370 stories, some of which have received reactions from some government institutions and state actors in the various target countries. The Fellowship runs for six months – three months of intensive trainings (virtual and in-person) and the following three months for story development and periodic peer-learning sessions.
For this Nigeria-specific cohort, 15 experienced journalists will be selected to participate in a six-month fellowship running from October 2025 to March 2026. The fellowship will include intensive trainings (virtual and in-person), pitching sessions, story development, peer-learning and networking sessions and participation in national and international convenings.
Role of the Editor
The Editor will play a pivotal role in guiding Fellows through the fellowship by:
- Participating in subject-matter (DPI/DPGs) training sessions organised for Fellows to enhance knowledge on DPI issues.
- Organise follow-up journalistic training sessions (at least once a week) for Fellows on effective skills for reporting on DPI/DPGs issues.
- Organise sessions for Fellows in generating DPI/DPGs story ideas and pitching story ideas.
- Assess story ideas and pitches shared by Fellows and support in shaping and fine-tuning them before they are developed.
- Where possible, suggest story ideas that the Fellows can pursue or follow-up on.
- Provide quality assurance for stories before they are published.
- Support monitoring and evaluation of Fellows and the entire Fellowship programme for necessary improvements.
- Suggest ideas on how to make the Fellowship programme more effective and impactful.
- Support each Fellow to develop and publish, at least, six impactful stories on DPI/ DPGs by the end of the Fellowship in March 2026.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate must be an experienced journalist-editor with a strong track record of impactful reporting and must demonstrate:
- Track record of producing and editing in-depth investigative and impactful stories
- Proven editorial and mentoring experience, preferably in digital journalism and/or ICTs reporting.
- Knowledge or strong interest in DPI/DPGs or technology-related reporting.
- Ability to mentor and provide constructive feedback to journalists.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
- Prior work on media projects in Nigeria or with international organisations is an advantage.
Compensation
The Editor will receive a service fee for their work, subject to a statutory withholding tax of 7.5%. The total fee will be based on experience and the project’s budget.
Application Process
Interested candidates should send their CV and a cover letter outlining their editorial experience, proven track record, weblinks to at least three impactful stories, and interest in DPI/DPG reporting to [email protected] not later than October 17, 2025. The subject line of the email must read: DPI Editor.
For inquiries, please contact Vivian Affoah, Programme Manager, Digital Rights at vivian[@]mfwa.org or Dora Boamah, Programme Director, Freedom of Expression and Digital Rights at dora[@]mfwa.org.
