ICIR offers investigative journalism training

The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) based in Abuja has announced a two-year investigative journalism training and reporting project for Nigerian journalists.

The programme is to be conducted with funding from the Ford Foundation, says ICIR’s executive director Dayo Aiyetan in a statement.

Mr. Aiyetan said the project is aimed at helping journalists across newsrooms to conduct investigative reporting on issues of transparency, accountability and good governance.

He said up to 40 journalists would be trained over a two-year period, starting from next month, and funds would also be provided to them to undertake investigative reporting projects.

Media organisations would be required to nominate candidates for the training but nominees would have to go through a screening process to qualify, Mr. Aiyetan added.

“Those who go through the training would then be invited to pitch investigative story ideas, the most plausible and impactful ones which would be funded with seed money from the Ford Foundation,” he said.

Successful participants whose investigative reporting projects are chosen for funding would receive between N160,000 and N2.4 million reporting grants. Nominations for the training are open until April 30.