A former Development Editor at PREMIUM TIMES, Mojeed Alabi, has been appointed as the team lead and editor-in-chief of DevReporting, a new online newspaper focused on development journalism.
The platform, established by Development Reporting Services Limited, aims to redefine the coverage of development issues in Nigeria and across Africa, with a strong emphasis on impact-driven journalism.
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In a statement signed by the organisation’s Administration and Finance Control Manager, Omobayo Azeez, DevReporting stated that it seeks to “promote informed discourse, balanced reporting, and comprehensive impact on development issues.”
The statement also confirmed the appointment of Christiana Alabi-Akande, a former correspondent at Daily Trust Newspaper, as the platform’s managing editor.
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“As a niche platform, the newspaper intends to disrupt the status quo with a unique style of covering development issues in Nigeria and beyond through four major projects of DevCinema, DevCheck, DevCast, and DevStats,” the statement read.
Although details of these initiatives are yet to be fully disclosed, the statement assured that the projects would offer “rich exclusives, analysis, and investigations on happenings within the development sectors, especially education, health, and humanitarian issues and how they affect the people.”
It noted that the details of these initiatives will be made public in the coming days.
Why DevReporting?
The newspaper said as changes and the needs of the people evolve, journalism’s response must also evolve, noting that the issues that deserve much emphasis in the media should be based on the different eras.
The statement further noted: “The truth is that when the fight against the colonialists was in vogue, the media did well; when the military incursions dominated the post-colonial era, journalism also played its part.
“But now that democracy seems to have been enthroned and the new challenges are the issues of poor leadership, corruption, and stark underdevelopment, journalism needs to refocus by significantly highlighting these issues in connection with the people’s survival. That is the vacuum DevReporting has come to fill.”
Leadership and experience
According to the statement, as the pioneer Development Editor at PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Alabi has a track record of driving innovative approaches to development reporting.
The statement described him as the right person to lead DevReporting, given his experience in advancing development journalism and fostering partnerships in the sector.
It said having reported the education sector for more than a decade, and serving as the chairman of the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN) with a rich network of contacts, “Mr Alabi is primed to lead a team of change agents in development reporting on the continent of Africa.”
A 2005 graduate of English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Mr Alabi also holds a master’s certificate in Diplomacy and Strategic Studies from the University of Lagos. His work has earned him multiple accolades, including two-time recognition at the prestigious Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting.
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Similarly, the newspaper’s pioneer Managing Editor, Mrs Alabi-Akande, brings a wealth of experience in covering education, health, technology, gender, and governance.
Having worked at Daily Trust Newspaper between 2010 and 2022, she also served as a correspondent covering the Kaduna State House of Assembly and later the Lagos State House of Assembly.
A recipient of numerous awards, including the ‘Courage in Journalism’ and the 2016 Journalist of the Year awards by the Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), Mrs Alabi-Akande is known for her commitment to impactful storytelling.
With a background in Mass Communication from the Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna, she also brings strong digital marketing skills and fluency in English, Hausa, and Yoruba, making her a versatile media professional.
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