Center urges African journalists to amplify public interest climate stories

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Pulitzer Center has urged African journalists to amplify public-interest climate stories to promote accountability, strengthen climate literacy and highlight affected communities.

The Centre made the call yesterday in Abuja at its side event, “Journalism, Climate Action, and Civic Space Engagement,” moderated by Francesca Ekondaho, Africa Outreach Programme Coordinator, Pulitzer Center.

The session drew on Pulitzer Center-supported reporting and initiatives across Africa covering environmental governance, climate adaptation, energy transitions, resource governance, environmental justice, community resilience and public accountability.

Speaking at the event, Afy Malungu, the Centre’s Outreach Senior Programme Manager for Africa, said the organisation sought to ensure that stories continued to create impact after publication through audience engagement.

She said the Centre identified the critical issues raised in a story, the people affected and those positioned to influence solutions.

“We think about the critical issue at the heart of the story and identify the people for whom the issue matters most. This is what we call audience engagement,” she said.

Malungu urged journalists to consider how their reporting could become useful knowledge and support for affected communities by examining the problems exposed, their effects and possible responses.

Also speaking, Opeyemi Alaran, Africa Education Freelancer at the Pulitzer Center, said the organisation ran projects that used journalism to support learning and build the capacity of students, teachers and lecturers.

“Ultimately, the output of journalism is the story. However, it is not just any story; it must be a factual, well-investigated story,” he said.

Alaran said the Centre’s investigative journalism informed classroom discussions and helped students understand connections between climate change, economic hardship, migration, insecurity and public health.

He cited Abdulaziz Okumor’s report on the greening of fish resources in the Niger Delta, which examined fishermen’s economic challenges and formed the basis for classroom activities in 2024.

He also cited Precious Williams’ report on poorly designed drainage systems and flooding, which showed how flooding could increase disease burdens and pressure hospitals.

“These examples demonstrate the significant impact journalism can have on education and public understanding,” he said.

Alaran added that human-interest reporting helped students and teachers understand immediate climate impacts, anticipate future challenges and recognise the roles of professionals such as architects, urban planners and engineers in addressing them.

“Journalism makes these issues easier to understand because it tells human-interest stories that students and teachers can relate to, discuss and learn from,” he said.

Meanwhile, Alaba Adeyemi, Head of News and Current Affairs at Hi-Power 102.7 FM, said the media had a responsibility to set the public agenda because sustained attention to issues could influence government decisions.

He expressed concern that climate change received insufficient attention in Nigeria, with climate stories often relegated to less prominent newspaper pages or treated as minor radio topics.

Adeyemi urged journalists to present climate change in accessible language rather than as a subject reserved for experts.

“We must move away from that approach and explain the issue in ways that ordinary people can understand,” he said.

He said climate change affected health, livelihoods and finances, with implications for politics, public policy and governance. He also urged infrastructure planners to account for climate-related risks, including flooding and increased water volumes.

Describing the media as an active stakeholder in climate action, Adeyemi cautioned against portraying climate change solely as the failure of a particular government or administration. He said accountability remained important, but the issue also required shared responsibility.

He advocated reporting in indigenous languages, including Hausa, to reach wider audiences in Nigeria and West Africa.

“Communicating climate information in the language people understand best can extend the reach and impact of the reporting,” he said.

Adeyemi urged climate journalists to address both expert and general audiences.

“Climate change communication must be accessible, inclusive and relevant to people’s everyday experiences,” he said.

He added that effective climate journalism should help people understand the risks they face, recognise their responsibilities and take informed action.