Africa Media Festival Perspectives
Live from Nairobi – Shaping Africa’s Future in Media
Migration is a story of resilience, opportunity, and diversity. But telling these stories requires more than passion. It demands skill, data, and the right platform. That’s where the Data Storytelling Fellowship comes in. This year, we are pleased to partner with MOVE Africa, an African Union project, supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to expand our reach and empower storytellers across Africa to craft compelling, evidence-based migration narratives.
In this second phase, 20 selected Fellows are diving deep: gathering data, challenging assumptions, and shaping narratives that reflect the complexity of migration across Africa. The third cycle of the Data Storytelling Fellowship is now live, and the work is underway.
Data Storytelling Fellows
With over a decade in media production, Itumeleng Morake founded The Reel Media Production and Final Frame Pty Ltd, leading projects like Femprenuers and Mojwadi. Her background includes managing post-production teams and producing TV shows and documentaries for Now TV and Botswana Television. Itumeleng’s work celebrates local stories, particularly women’s voices and family narratives.
Janvier MUNYAMPUNDU has a strong foundation in journalism, content creation, and communication strategy, with expertise in storytelling across media platforms. His work focuses on engaging content development and audience-centered communication, built on years of producing and editing impactful stories across Rwanda’s media landscape.
Project Title : What if hope had no home in Rwanda?: The resurgence of migrants and asylum seekers rescued from Libya
Kanto Razanajatovo manages communications for a grassroots organization, creating content on women’s empowerment, biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods.She’s led several documentaries on indigenous communities and migrants, with projects funded by CARE International and IIED. Currently, Kanto is producing a documentary exploring climate migration, conservation, and illegal resource trafficking, supported by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
Project Title: The Mauritian Eldorado: The Promises and Pitfalls of Malagasy Migration
Kevinne is a journalist and founder of Kgill+ Media, a production company focused on storytelling for social change. He has led the creation of films and documentaries like Kick Off, Story of a Girl, and Mlolongo Voting System, covering themes such as women’s rights, climate change, and education. He also mentors creatives and collaborates with organizations to advance sustainability and the green economy across Africa.
Adeyemi Adekunle is a frontline journalist with eight years of experience reporting on climate, conflict, health, and gender across Nigeria. His work has taken him to communities grappling with climate-induced displacement, maternal health crises, and gender-based violence, offering him a deep, lived understanding of how gender and health intersect. He specializes in crafting compelling narratives from complex realities and has collaborated with policymakers, healthcare workers, and grassroots activists to spotlight urgent issues impacting vulnerable populations.
Project Title: From Borders to Beats: How African Migration is Powering Nigeria’s Entertainment Boom
Mabel Echewune is a photojournalist and documentary photographer with experience spanning government, nonprofit, and media sectors. She’s served as the official photographer for the First Lady of Imo State, led advocacy campaigns, and documented educational initiatives through Read2Succeed Africa. As Executive Director of ME-media, she focuses on gender justice and impact storytelling, including coverage of major events and initiatives like the UN Technical Workshop and The PEN Project, using photography as a tool for social change.
Project Title: Three Nigerian Women Rewriting Africa’s Travel Story
Tonny Mulenzi is a content creator and storyteller with a focus on disability inclusion, migration, and social justice. As Team Lead for Love 4 Immigrants, he has produced multimedia content, including sign language storytelling and documentaries, to elevate immigrant voices. Tonny’s work includes writing and media production centered on disability rights and inclusive policy, advocating for underrepresented communities through accessible storytelling formats.
Editor and creator of FinTech Review.Africa. Led digital media and life skills training with Save Our Environment Trust (2024). Produced a documentary for Midlands AIDS Service Organization and multiple TV adverts (2018).
Project Title : Inspiring Journeys: Zimbabweans Who Found Hope and Success as Asylum Seekers Abroad
Liapeng Raliengoane is a journalist based in Maseru with five years of experience reporting on health, the environment, migration, and personal stories. Her work has earned recognition in environmental reporting and reflects a deep commitment to highlighting the stories that shape Lesotho and its communities.
Project Title: They Leave to Uplift, Not to Escape: How Migration Sustains Lesotho’s Quiet Villages
Mark Smith is a journalist and Creative Director at North Sight Images, passionate about documentary photography and broadcasting. His work explores governance, education, and development, with investigative pieces on gender, digital infrastructure, and agriculture. Mark engages with both policymakers and everyday citizens to present comprehensive narratives and also volunteers with Barcamp Bolga, contributing to community development through storytelling.
Project Title: From Invisible Walls to New Beginnings: Ghana’s Response to the Burkinabe Refugee Crisis
Mercy Michira is a media practitioner with experience in content creation, research communication, and digital strategy. As Social Media Manager for KEPhSA and co-founder of Research Made Familiar, she translates complex health research into accessible content. Mercy also develops training materials for youth empowerment through The PD School, leveraging digital media to educate and engage diverse audiences.
I have also contributed to content development for The Professional Development (PD) School, my youth empowerment organization , where I create training materials and informative resources designed to help young professionals and students advance their careers.
Akingbade Tope Olatidoye is a multidisciplinary content creator with over five years of experience developing stories across genres like Afro-futurism, sci-fi, mystery, and advocacy. He co-leads ImaginePrompt Studios and XNECT-HUB, where he merges creative storytelling with technical strategy across graphic novels, games, and business content. As a writer and Creative Director, Akingbade has produced campaigns for African fashion brands and authored advocacy pieces on migration, human rights, and political economy, demonstrating a versatile command of narrative in both creative and social sectors.
Project Title: How the Trans-Saharan Corridor Transformed Trade, Migration, and Tourism
Award-winning multimedia journalist with 20+ years of experience spotlighting democracy, youth, migration, and human rights. Founder of MSM Media Consult, providing media training on misinformation, civic engagement, and decentralization.
Mwende Ngao is a multimedia journalist and storyteller focused on the intersections of media, tech, and culture, especially as they affect marginalized African communities. As Creative Producer at Zeda Media, she spotlights African women’s stories across platforms. With over a decade of experience in Kenya’s digital storytelling space, Mwende has collaborated on projects about digital rights, leadership, and tech for good, bringing depth and reach to underreported narratives through blogging, podcasting, and filmmaking.
Olga is a freelance writer and communicator with a Diploma in Journalism and Communication Studies, currently pursuing a degree in Visual Communication and Multimedia Design at Chinhoyi University of Technology. She has contributed to publications like HMetro and Artweb Africa and now works as a graphic designer for Excellence Private Tutors, where she combines writing and visual storytelling to produce impactful educational content.
Sakwa is a tech journalist at Techweez and Content Coordinator at Tisini Tech, where he leads storytelling around African sports using data-driven insights. His work spans visual, audio, and text formats, focusing on African athletes and tech developments across East Africa, highlighting how people engage with emerging technologies and platforms.
Project Title: Socio-economic Inclusion: Why sports should be a pillar of Kenya’s Shirika Plan
Usman Babaji is an investigative journalist with over four years of experience exposing corruption and human rights abuses, particularly in Northern Nigeria. Through data-driven reporting and fellowships with CJID and MFWA, he has led impactful investigations under WikkiTimes’ CMEDIA Project and received community recognition for advancing accountability journalism.
Project Title: Displacement is Opening Doors to Victims of Conflict in Northern Nigeria
Journalist and podcaster focused on climate, health, and gender. Producer of The Content newsletter. Published investigative work on fistula care in SciDev.Net. Honored by WomenVoices Newspaper and currently studying Communication at the University of Liberia.
Project Title: Risking It All to Feed the Children — Liberian women exercise right to trade without fear
I have a background in journalism, data storytelling, and digital media, with experience spanning newsrooms, research institutions, and independent media outfits. My first professional role was at Pollicy, where I co-authored Automated Imperialism, Expansionist Dreams, a paper examining digital extractivism in Africa. We presented it at the 2021 Africa Law Tech Festival and MozFest 2022, sharpening my skills in research, collaboration, and storytelling.
In the newsroom, I worked at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation’s digital news department, covering press conferences and breaking news. This experience gave me firsthand insight into the media’s role in amplifying public concerns. Later, at OdipoDev, I contributed to Wizileaks, a data-driven investigative project with Africa Uncensored, where I oversaw data cleaning and legal compliance. I now lead the Nairobi pilot for its county-level expansion.
Over the past year, my work has expanded into creative and multimedia storytelling. I played a key role in launching VybeCast, a TikTok-based project making data-driven stories accessible through short-form video. Beyond journalism, I have also consulted on editorial strategy, including running newsletters for niche communities. My work sits at the intersection of journalism, research, and innovation—bringing data to life through engaging, impactful storytelling.
For over a decade, Agha Egwu Inya has led media relations at the University of Nigeria, writing about scientific breakthroughs and producing documentaries to support academic outreach. As Communications Officer at EfD Nigeria, he reports on environmental research and manage content for their digital platforms, combining academic communication with public engagement to amplify sustainable development efforts.
Project Title: From Sahel to South: How Climate Change, Culture, and Commerce Are Shaping New Paths for Migrant Herders in Nigeria