CJID Unveils First Beneficiaries of Local Media Sustainability Fund, Backs Seven Nigerian Newsrooms

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has announced seven Nigerian media organisations as the inaugural beneficiaries of its Local Media Sustainability Fund (LMSF), a new initiative designed to strengthen the long-term viability of independent local media and promote democratic accountability across West Africa.

The selected organisations are Development Reporting, FactsMatterNG, Development News Network (DNN News), Confiance News, Inside the Niger Delta, EduGist, and Sapientia International Media Centre.

The announcement marks the first phase of a flagship programme aimed at helping local newsrooms build resilient institutions capable of sustaining public-interest journalism amid growing financial and operational challenges facing the media industry.

Speaking on the initiative, CJID Chief Executive Officer, Dapo Olorunyomi, said the future of democracy is closely tied to the strength and sustainability of independent journalism.

According to him, local media organisations play an indispensable role in reporting issues that directly affect communities, holding public officials accountable and amplifying voices that are often excluded from national discourse.

“Across West Africa, local media are often the first to report issues that affect people’s daily lives, hold public officials accountable, and ensure that communities are not left out of national conversations,” Olorunyomi said.

He noted, however, that these organisations remain among the most financially vulnerable institutions in the region, making sustained investment in their institutional capacity essential to preserving democratic values.

Olorunyomi stressed that while donor support has traditionally focused on funding journalism projects and content production, stronger attention must now be given to building resilient media organisations with sound governance, sustainable business models, effective leadership and the ability to withstand political and economic pressures.

“Protecting independent media is ultimately about protecting democratic societies,” he added, noting that the Local Media Sustainability Fund combines financial support with institutional development to help local newsrooms remain viable over the long term.

The initiative comes at a time when many independent media organisations are grappling with shrinking advertising revenues, changing audience consumption patterns, reduced international support for media development and increasing dominance of global technology companies in the digital advertising market.

CJID said the programme was conceived to address these structural challenges by strengthening the organisations behind public-interest journalism rather than focusing solely on newsroom output.

The seven beneficiaries were selected from participants at CJID’s Media Sustainability Workshop, held in Lagos in April 2026. During the workshop, participating newsrooms underwent intensive training on organisational resilience, financial management, audience development, governance, editorial independence, revenue diversification and long-term institutional planning.

Under the programme, each organisation will receive catalytic funding to produce journalism focused on democracy, accountability and human rights.

In addition to financial support, beneficiaries will participate in a three-month institutional development programme featuring newsroom coaching, technical assistance, mentorship, peer learning and access to specialists in financial management, fundraising, communications, editorial leadership, governance and organisational development.

CJID Executive Director, Akintunde Babatunde, described the inaugural beneficiaries as the foundation of a broader regional strategy to strengthen independent journalism across West Africa.

According to him, the initiative goes beyond conventional newsroom grants by providing structured organisational support that enables media institutions to build sustainable operations while maintaining editorial independence.

“This programme is intentionally designed to go beyond conventional newsroom grants. We are pairing catalytic funding with structured technical support, mentorship and organisational development because sustainable journalism requires sustainable institutions,” Babatunde said.

He disclosed that the organisation is committed to supporting at least 100 local and community media organisations across West Africa over the next five years, helping them improve governance, diversify revenue streams, strengthen operational resilience and continue producing journalism that promotes democracy, accountability and informed public participation.

CJID said the Southern Nigeria beneficiaries represent the first phase of the Local Media Sustainability Fund, with a second cohort targeting Northern Nigerian media organisations expected to be announced in November 2026.

The project is being implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria, as part of broader efforts to strengthen independent media and democratic resilience across the region.

The Local Media Sustainability Fund was first introduced during the launch of the CJID Openness Index in 2025, reflecting the organisation’s long-term commitment to building stronger, more sustainable and independent media institutions across West Africa.