The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), on Tuesday, selected seven Nigerian media organisations as the inaugural beneficiaries of its Local Media Sustainability Fund (LMSF), a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening the long-term sustainability of independent local media across West Africa.

The beneficiaries are Development Reporting, FactsMatterNG, Development News Network (DNN News), Confiance News, Inside the Niger Delta, EduGist, and Sapientia International Media Centre.

Speaking on the programme, CJID Chief Executive Officer, Dapo Olorunyomi, said the sustainability of journalism is closely tied to the sustainability of democracy.

According to him, independent local media play a critical role in holding public officials accountable and ensuring communities are represented in national conversations, despite being among the most financially vulnerable institutions.

The initiative comes at a time when local media organisations face declining advertising revenues, changing audience habits, the dominance of global technology platforms in digital advertising, and reduced international funding for media development.

CJID said the programme was created to address the need for stronger and more resilient media institutions, noting that while journalism projects often receive funding, less attention has been paid to building the capacity and sustainability of the newsrooms that produce public-interest journalism.

The selected organisations emerged from participants at CJID’s Media Sustainability Workshop held in Lagos in April 2026, where participating newsrooms engaged in practical sessions on organisational resilience, financial management, audience development, governance, editorial independence, revenue diversification, and long-term institutional planning.

As part of the programme, each organisation will receive funding to produce public-interest journalism focusing on human rights, democracy, and accountability.

Beyond financial support, participating organisations will undertake a three-month institutional development programme combining newsroom coaching, technical assistance, mentorship, peer learning, and access to experts in financial management, editorial leadership, communications, fundraising, governance, and organisational development.

Speaking on the programme, CJID Chief Executive Officer, Dapo Olorunyomi, said the sustainability of journalism is closely tied to the sustainability of democracy.

Olorunyomi said: “The future of democracy depends not only on the quality of journalism we produce, but also on the strength of the institutions that produce it. Across West Africa, local media are often the first to report issues that affect people’s daily lives, hold public officials accountable, and ensure that communities are not left out of national conversations.

“Yet these organisations are also among the most financially vulnerable. For too long, conversations about media support have focused primarily on content. That remains important, but strong journalism also requires strong institutions with sound governance, sustainable business models, capable leadership, and the resilience to withstand political and economic pressures.

“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. The Local Media Sustainability Programme reflects CJID’s commitment to helping build stronger, more resilient media institutions.

“By combining catalytic funding with technical support, leadership development, peer learning, and institutional accompaniment, we hope to demonstrate that investing in the sustainability of local newsrooms is one of the most important investments we can make in the future of democracy across our region.”

In a statement, CJID Executive Director, Akintunde Babatunde, described the inaugural beneficiaries as the foundation of a long-term strategy to strengthen local journalism across West Africa.

Babatunde said: “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.”

CJID said the initiative is designed to support both impactful journalism and the development of sustainable business models, effective leadership, and stronger institutional systems that will enable independent media organisations to thrive.

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, reflecting CJID’s phased approach to building a nationwide network of resilient local media organisations.

The project is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen independent media and democratic resilience.

The programme was first introduced during the launch of the CJID Openness Index in 2025 as part of CJID’s broader vision for strengthening independent journalism and building resilient media institutions across West Africa.