BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
L-R: Africa Outreach Senior Program Manager, Pulitzer Center, Afy Malungu; Africa Education Freelancer, Pulitzer Center, Opeyemi Alaran; Head of News and Current Affair, Hi-Power 102.7 FM, Alaba Adeyemi; Administration and Finance Lead, Ghana Youth Environmental Movement, Rosalyn Ocran and Africa Outreach Program Coordinator / Pulitzer Center, Francesca Ekondaho during a side event organized by Pulitzer in Abuja on Tuesday.
Experts in the Media Industry have called on journalists to strengthen climate literacy and actively engage the communities, rather than relying on the government speeches during floods and other climate disasters.
This formed the crux of discussions at a side event organised by the Centre at the ongoing Africa Climate Forum (ACF) on Tuesday in Abuja, with the theme: “Journalism, Climate Action, and Civic Space Engagement”,
The Pulitzer Center is a US-based non-profit journalism organisation that sponsors independent global reporting and public education on underreported systemic crises, including in Nigeria.
Africa Outreach Senior Program Manager of Pulitzer Center, Afy Malungu noted that the centre supports in-depth and investigative journalism, while concentrating mostly on investigations and issues that would prevent humanitarian crises.
She stated that a journalist is not supposed to be a climate expert but one that specialises on climate issues, noting that journalists should explore opportunities to increase their knowledge on climate change.
The Administration and Finance Lead, Ghana Youth Environmental Movement, Rosalyn Ocran said that the foundation provides free, downloadable climate action curriculums for youth aged 15–35 through their platform.
She stated that the major focus of the foundation is on grassroots plastic pollution mitigation, advocating against single-use plastics.
The discussion explored how public-interest journalism could contribute to climate accountability, amplify the experiences of affected communities, and create opportunities for meaningful civic participation in climate decision-making.
Africa Outreach Program Coordinator / Pulitzer Center, Francesca Ekondaho hinted that forums like the ACF are specifically designed to shorten the distance between local innovators, media, and leaders.
She stated that the Deal Rooms and policy dialogues use story-based case studies to indicate why regulatory bottlenecks such as lack of subsidies hinder climate-resilient projects.
Head of News and Current Affair, Hi-Power 102.7 FM, Ondo State, Alaba Adeyemi harped on the need for the journalists to move away from treating climate change as ‘rocket science’ or abstract policy.
He highlighted the urgent need for training across African newsrooms to enable journalists analyse climate data accurately and properly frame stories, saying that it is crucial to depoliticise climate stories.
Adeyemi advocated the need for journalists to embrace climate reporting in local languages so that information reaches non-English-speaking communities directly.
He enjoined journalists to assist in addressing widespread cultural and religious misconceptions on extreme weather or flooding by engaging faith leaders, traditional rulers, and teachers with facts.
Adeyemi informed that journalism curricula should be reformed to effectively address modern climate and environmental realities by moving away from outdated and theoretical mass communication models.
The Africa Education Freelancer, Pulitzer Center, Opeyemi Alaran suggested that journalists should hold decision-makers accountable by publicly tracking whether promises made at conferences aligned with budget allocations for communities impacted by environmental issues.
He suggested that every engagement should end with an action plan, saying that tertiary journalism education must undergo systemic structural reforms to encompass climate change.
The side event provided an opportunity to highlight practical experiences from Pulitzer Center-supported reporting and IEO initiatives across Africa, including work related to environmental governance, climate adaptation, energy transitions, resource governance, environmental justice, community resilience, and public accountability.
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