African Conservation
Journalism Programme
the power of storytelling
How we frame our understanding of the world comes from the stories we hear about it. Our perspective will be incomplete if important viewpoints are missing. The experiences of the people who live in Africa’s natural landscapes, and the priorities of the policymakers tasked with protecting them, have too often been sidelined.
Working with specialist journalists to expand the depth, reach, and frequency of their reporting is among the most effective ways of increasing the range of voices involved in key discussions. The Space for Giants African Conservation Journalism Programme supports, empowers, and mentors professional reporters working for African national print, online or broadcast media.
That means more African audiences read or view more stories about conservation. By partnering with ESI Media, owner of The Independent in Britain, and republishing those stories in the international media, the Programme amplified African voices in the global conservation debate.
Launched in 2017, the Programme has worked with six journalists each in Uganda and Kenya, who together reach a potential audience of more than 30 million East Africans. The number of conservation stories these 12 journalists have produced has increased from 24 in 2017 to 371 in 2020. With support from USAID's VukaNow: Combating Wildlife Crime in Southern Africa Activity, the Programme is now expanding into southern Africa. It kicked off in Botswana in December 2021, and launched in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Angola in 2022. You can read the latest stories from Southern Africa here.
Latest news
What does the programme entail?
Story Funding
Bridging the gap to support comprehensive reporting
Like media companies everywhere, Africa’s news outlets struggle to cover the costs of expensive reporting trips. Conservation is rarely a priority for strapped budgets. The Programme provides grants for both desk-based and field reporting.
Expert Briefings
Background and off-record lectures from sector leaders
The Programme invites specialists in a wide range of conservation-linked disciplines to give guest lectures to the journalists. These include scientists, policy advisors, entrepreneurs, rights activists, celebrities, and many others.
International Publication
Bringing Africa’s views on conservation to a global audience
Stories appear first in the journalists’ own outlets, before a selection is then published by The Independent in the UK, reaching 120 million monthly international readers, making clearer to the world how the issue is viewed and debated in Africa.
Journalist Mentoring
Collaborating and sharing ideas
Creating a pan-African network of African conservation reporters means the group shares best practices between themselves, supporting one another with ideas and resources for stories. The Programme team adds mentoring, guidance, contacts, and collaboration where it is useful.
Unique Network
Giving conservation a single access to specialist journalists
Fellow conservation organisations, especially those with limited communications resources, can reach specialist, trusted reporters through the Space for Giants Programme, to publicise their own work.
“I may not be able to plant a million trees, but my story can cause a million trees to be planted. I am the Voice of Nature.”
- Dan Kaburu, K24 TV, Kenya
What motivates me most is to see the positive change when I tell a story. I covered a story that led to a ban on logging in all government and public forests. That ban is sill in force today.
Action and Impact
Each an accomplished journalist in their own right, at Space for Giants we use our position to amplify the voices of African journalists and provide them with a place on the world stage. We seek to make the issues of conservation, climate change and wildlife crime more accessible in the countries where we work. By engaging more people through the work of independent, balanced and comprehensive journalism across Africa, we hope to encourage more support for conservation and the fight against illegal wildlife crime.
the journalists
A group trip for the Kenyan journalists
KENYA
Caroline Chebet, The Standard | Dan Kaburu, K24 TV | Jeckonia Otieno, Sunday Standard | Evelyn Makena, People Daily | Janet Murikira, Baraka FM
UGANDA
Ronny Job Okot, NBS TV (Gulu) | Ronald Musoke, The Independent | Sarah Mawarere, UBC Radio | Pamela Amia, Chimpreports | Gerald Tenywa, New Vision
BOTSWANA
Thobo Motlhoka, Sunday Standard | Solomon Tjinyeka, Ngami Times & Duma FM | Boniface Keakabetse, The Okavanga Express | Keletso Thobega, Botswana Guardian & Midweek Sun | Innocent Tshukudu, The Voice | Dave Baaitse, Weekend Post
ANGOLA
Gaspar Jindanji, TPA | Pedro Tchindele, Radio Ecclesia | Manuel David Sumbo, Wi.Ao | Santos Virgilio, Jornal de Angola / LAC | Ivanilson Ramos, Radio Benguela | Mateus Máquina, Radio Ecclesia
MOZAMBIQUE
Omardine Omari, Carta de Moçambique / Integrity | Suizane Rafael, Faisca | Alexandre Ernesto Manhica, Radio Mozambique | Jonas Wazir, Noticias | Benjamim Wilson, Semanário Domingo | Refinaldo Chilengue, Redactor/Prestigio
