Applications are open for Report Women Female Reporters’ Leadership Programme 2021. The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) in collaboration with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) opens application submission for its 2021 Report Women! Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP) Fellowship. This year, the fellowship will focus on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and Criminal Justice.

The choice of the focus area is to increase the quality and quantum of stories on girls and women issues by creating a strong community of female reporters with leadership prowess who can put conversations on various forms of violence against girl and women and criminal justice on the front burner. The overall objective of the FRLP Fellowship is to equip female reporters with leadership skills and position them to take opportunities to lead, provide capacity development for advanced nuanced reporting and create a vibrant cohort of female practitioners who can mainstream girls and women in news reporting.

Fellowship Components

The 2021 Report Women Female Reporters’ Leadership Programme exposure will entail the following:

• Four-day immersion training on leadership, SGBV, criminal justice and other girls and women issues
• Six-month mentoring
• Implementation of leadership and story projects on SGBV and criminal justice
• Share-fair
• Fellowship award and induction into the most supportive group of female reporters in the world.

Application Criteria

• Female journalists with a passion for leadership, ethics, and social justice.
• Proven record of accomplishments in journalism.
• Interest in reporting violence against girls and women and criminal justice.
• Demonstrated ability to influence change.
• Willingness to learn (from faculty, peers, and mentors) and share knowledge.
• Energetic, positive attitude with strong social skills.
• A commitment to apply leadership skills and training to benefit self, organization, and society.

Professional full-time or freelance female reporters in Nigeria, with a minimum of three years of experience, are eligible to apply. Application closes on Friday 28 May 2021 by 11.00 pm West Africa Time (WAT)