The Africa programme centres on four countries in southern Africa: Angola, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Its goal is to contribute to the development of good governance, the rule of law and the resolution of conflict as part of the democratisation process in southern Africa. By using local journalists to produce articles, and republishing the work regionally, the project aims to increase levels of information on key governance issues in the region.

It works to strengthen accurate and responsible journalism; to increase the coverage of human rights issues; and to promote civil society as a pillar of development. The Africa office will concentrate on intensive hands-on training, focusing on the production of journalistic articles, which will be published in English, as well as republished and disseminated regionally and internationally. It will also bring together journalists from different countries to broaden their perspective. In Mozambique and Angola, the programme will have a specific radio focus. A regional programme on women and war crimes is planned for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.

Key Activities

Training:

IWPR’s training focus takes the form of workshops where journalists produce articles for publication. Trainers serve as commissioning editors, working closely with trainees on the development of a story. As part of the training process, the journalists’ work undergoes a stringent editing and coaching process.

Local Publication:

Reports generated by local reporters are disseminated within that country via email and the internet. Articles will provide reliable, objective news and analysis on human rights, democracy and conflict prevention. Articles will be produced in English and Portuguese.

Cross-Border and Special Reports:

IWPR will support local journalists to produce cross-regional in-depth and investigative reports. The articles will be republished in conjunction with local media partners, and will also be disseminated regionally and internationally.

Governance and Human Rights Reporting:

IWPR will work in close collaboration with human rights organisations in the four southern African countries to monitor good governance and human rights issues. Human rights reporting will also be a focus of the journalists’ training programme.

Target Group and Beneficiaries

• Local journalists based across the region.
• NGOs and media organisations based in the region.
• Human rights workers and civil society organisations.
• The region’s general population will gain access to objective and reliable information.
• An expert international audience of journalists, academics, activists and diplomats.