Vanessa Obioha, a lifestyle and entertainment reporter, with THISDAY Newspapers is among the 20 journalists selected for the maiden MTN Media Innovation Programme.
The initiative by the digital company is aimed at equipping the journalists with innovative skills that will keep them abreast of the digital changes in the media landscape.
A call-for-applications phase which commenced on April 27, 2022, and ended on May 5, 2022, recorded over 1,200 applications. Selections were based on performance from a written test as well as a statement of purpose (SOP) submission.
In partnership with the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, the programme is slated for six weeks spread across six months. Fully funded by MTN Nigeria, the 20 MIP fellows will engage in intensive sessions on courses covering modern income streams for journalists, creativity and innovation, entrepreneurship and management principles, 5G, IoT and blockchain technology, business and media ethics, strategic planning skills, among others.
The fellows will also travel to South Africa to study the media business, Pan-Africanism and the role of development media through a programme with the University of Witwatersrand, one of Africa’s leading universities in media training.
Participants will also carry out practical group projects that will be presented at the end of the programme before graduation, where an outstanding storyteller will be awarded a grant to participate in and cover MTN Foundation’s key initiative, ‘What Can We Do Together?’
A writer and journalist, Obioha joined THISDAY as a contributing writer in 2012 and became a staff member in 2016, covering lifestyle and entertainment. However, she has ranged broadly across the newspaper pages, reporting on politics, business, sports, tourism, and other subjects.
A graduate of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism with distinction in Mass Communication, she was nominated for the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Awards in 2015. She recently took a screenwriting course with the New York Film Academy.
The selected fellows include Chima Akwaja of Leadership Newspaper; Peter Oluka of Techeconomy; Adeyemi Adepetun of Guardian Newspaper; Wasilat Azeez of The Cable Newspaper; Uhuotu Omilabu of Inspiration FM; Damilola Fajinmi of Megalectrics; Sakina Ahmed of Fombina FM; Abidemi Dairo of Channels Television; Mike Okwoche of TVC News; Temitayo Jaiyeola of Punch Newspaper; Elsie Godwin, a digital content creator; Agbonkhese Oboh of Vanguard Newspaper; Nahimah Ajikanle-Nurudeen of AP News; Ejekwonyilo Ameh of Premium Times; Daniel Adeyemi of TechCabal; Samson Akintaro of Nairametrics; Razaq Ayinla of Businessday; Esther Ndu of Arise News, Ugo Onwuaso of Nigeria Communications Week, Michael Orodare of Neusroom and Blossom Deji-Folutile
