By Martha Agas
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) says seven Nigerian media organisations have benefited from its Local Media Sustainability Fund (LMSF).
The flagship initiative is aimed at strengthening the long-term sustainability of independent local media organisations across West Africa.
CJID Executive Director, Akintunde Babatunde, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative comes amid growing challenges facing media organisations.
These include declining advertising revenue, changing audience patterns, dominance of global technology platforms and reduced international support.
Babatunde listed the beneficiaries to include Development Reporting, FactsMatterNG, Development News Network, Confiance News, Inside the Niger Delta, EduGist and Sapientia International Media Centre.
He said the inaugural cohort, comprising media organisations from Southern Nigeria, marked the beginning of a long-term commitment to strengthening local journalism across West Africa.
According to him, the organisations were selected after CJID’s Media Sustainability Workshop held in Lagos in April 2026.
He said the participating newsrooms received training on resilience, governance, financial management, audience development, revenue diversification and institutional planning.
He said each organisation would receive funding to produce public-interest journalism focused on human rights, democracy and accountability.
Beyond financial support, Babatunde said the organisations would participate in a three-month institutional development programme.
He said the programme would feature newsroom coaching, technical assistance, mentorship, peer learning and expert support in governance, fundraising, financial management and editorial leadership.
He said the programme was designed to support impactful journalism while helping news organisations strengthen their systems, leadership and business models for long-term sustainability.
Babatunde added that participating organisations would develop newsroom sustainability plans during the pilot phase, with continued technical support from CJID.
“This programme is intentionally designed to go beyond conventional newsroom grants. We are pairing catalytic funding with structured technical support, mentorship and organisational development because sustainable journalism requires sustainable institutions.
“This first cohort represents the beginning of what we envision as a tiered support ecosystem for local media in the sub-region.
“Over the next five years, our ambition is to support at least 100 local and community media organisations across West Africa, helping them strengthen governance, diversify revenue, improve operational resilience and remain editorially independent while continuing to produce journalism that advances democracy, accountability and informed public participation,” he said.
Similarly, CJID Chief Executive Officer, Dapo Olorunyomi, said the sustainability of journalism was inseparable from the sustainability of democracy.
Olorunyomi said the future of democracy depended not only on the quality of journalism produced but also on the strength of the institutions producing it.
He said local media organisations across West Africa were often the first to report issues affecting communities, hold public officials accountable and ensure citizens’ voices were represented in national conversations.
However, he noted that such organisations remained among the most financially vulnerable.
“Through the Local Media Sustainability Fund, CJID is investing in the long-term capacity of local newsrooms because protecting independent media is ultimately about protecting democratic societies,” he said.
NAN reports that the Southern Nigeria cohort represents the first phase of the fund’s rollout.
A second cohort focusing on Northern Nigeria will be announced in November 2026 as part of CJID’s phased approach to building a nationwide network of resilient local media organisations.
The project is implemented by CJID with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria to strengthen independent media and democratic resilience.
