The Africa Women Journalism Project (AWJP) is a pioneering media initiative dedicated to strengthening the quality, depth and visibility of reporting on issues affecting women and other marginalised communities across Africa. Since its launch in 2020, the organisation has built a reputation for rigorous training, cross-border collaboration and editorial innovation, positioning women journalists as leaders and change-makers within their newsrooms and the wider media ecosystem.
AWJP runs structured fellowship programs that blend skills development, microgrants and hands-on editorial support. Its portfolio reflects a track record of tackling critical, under-reported issues. Past programs include a COVID-19 reporting fellowship; the Aftershocks Data Fellowship centred on the ONE Campaign’s Africa Tracker; a health misinformation fellowship supported by Article 19 and Meedan; and a West Africa gender-based violence reporting program funded by the Ford Foundation. AWJP expanded its scope with a Gender + AI fellowship in Kenya in partnership with DW Akademie. To date, AWJP’s 92 fellows across 7 fellowships have produced more than 292 stories, videos and graphic explainers for partner newsrooms—content that has informed policy discussions, exposed systemic gaps and shifted public understanding.
Beyond story production, AWJP conducts original research and develops tools that improve how African media covers women’s lives. Its gendered-disinformation project in Togo led to the creation of NAKA, a chatbot designed to crowdsource and analyse harmful online narratives targeting women during elections. The organisation also builds communities of practice, offers e-learning resources and supports newsroom reforms that enhance women’s representation at all levels of reporting and decision-making.
AWJP’s emphasis on data-driven journalism, long-term mentoring and collaborative investigations has helped seed gender desks, inspire special programming with community radio stations, and elevate the visibility of gender-focused storytelling across borders. Through its sustained investment in women journalists and its commitment to tackling neglected topics, AWJP is reshaping the African media landscape and expanding the public conversation about equity, accountability and social justice.