CLOSED – Training opportunity on reporting land rights for African journalists

The Nairobi-based International Land Coalition (ILC) and the Kampala-based African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) invite applications from journalists interested in covering land rights/governance on the continent. The goal of the training is to accelerate reporting on land rights/governance in Africa by bringing together investigative journalists and ILC members to lead data-driven and knowledge-based investigations and informed advocacy on land.

WHO?

The training targets five journalists primarily from sub-Saharan African countries with active ILC membership. Also participating in the training will be five ILC members. ILC operates in the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

WHEN /WHERE?

The training workshop, to be conducted in English, will last three days (20-22 June 2018). It will take place at the ACME head offices in Kampala, Uganda. The organisers will cater for participants’ travel, accommodation, meals and incidentals.

WHY?

When multinationals acquire huge tracts of land in Africa to plant trees or to farm crops, they say it is for the common good: locals will get jobs, governments will get taxes, the companies profits, and the environment will be better protected. Host governments repeat this same line. Often, however, these land acquisitions have left communities exposed: dispossessed and exploited. It frequently takes the expert reporting of journalists and the determined advocacy of civil society to expose what is not working. Reporting land rights is therefore about investigating and breaking stories that increase transparency regarding land deals, expose weak land governance systems, highlight the risks to stakeholders who invest in bad land deals, and potentially suggest ways for better outcomes for all, especially vulnerable communities. This is work that must continue because the land acquisitions are not about to stop.

HOW?

The journalists will work with experts from ILC and other entities on knowledge aspects, and with ACME trainers on skills elements such as investigation and compelling storytelling. Much of the training will be informed by Transparency International’s manual on Investigating Land and Corruption in Africa, and will be organised around land investigations planning, land rights and corruption, and land story research and presentation. ILC partners will share case studies. Each journalist will be expected to write at least one story after the training. A small grant for story research and production will be made available.

HOW TO APPLY:

Send in three sets of documents. The first document is a letter indicating who you are (bio-data – including your contact info), your job title and media house, how long you have worked as a journalist for, whether you have reported on land issues before, and why you would like to participate in this training. The second document is two samples of your best journalistic work. And the third is a letter from your editor endorsing your application. The editor’s letter should include his or her email address and phone number.

DEADLINE:

Send the application materials to training@acme-ug.org with a copy to btabaire@acme-ug.org and israel@landcoalition.info before close of business on Friday, 18 May 2018.

Questions? Call +256 772 575 140 or email btabaire@acme-ug.org

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ABOUT AFRICAN CENTRE FOR MEDIA EXCELLENCE: ACME (www.acme-ug.org) is a Kampala-based independent, non-profit professional organisation committed to helping African journalists seek and achieve professional excellence. The organisation fulfils its mandate through refresher training for mid-career journalists; media literacy training for civil society organisations, corporate companies and others; media research; free expression advocacy; and media monitoring.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL LAND COALITION: ILC (www.landcoalition.org) is a global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organisations working together to put people at the centre of land governance. The shared goal of ILC’s over 260 members is to realise land governance for and with people at the country level, responding to the needs and protecting the rights of women, men and communities who live on and from the land.