Beacons of African and Arab Science Journalism

JUNE 18, 2009 POSTED IN PROJECTS

SjCOOP, the flagship project of the World Federation of Science Journalists, has ended. Read the final report of the three-year project in peer-to-peer mentoring in science journalism in Africa and in the Arab World and meet its key actors.

In March 2009, at the end of SjCOOP, which stands for Science journalism COOPeration, networks of science journalists are now in place in Africa and in the Arab World. Each network is made of one regional association complemented by national associations. The African network includes nine national associations (6 created by SjCOOP) with a total membership of 408 journalists. The Arab network is mainly represented by a pan-Arab association with two national associations (created through SjCOOP) representing some 215 journalists.

The 32 journalists who succeeded the SjCOOP training, and the African and Arab SjCOOP coordinators and mentors who participated in providing the training, now represent the hard core of these two networks of professional science journalists in Africa and in the Arab World. They work in 17 African countries (Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo (RDC), Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, and Zambia) and 5 Arab countries (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon).

SjCOOP Participants in Doha, February 2009

While supported by SjCOOP, fifteen of these journalists have been promoted by their editors because of their new skills and their professionalism has been recognized by 44 prizes, awards, scholarships and internships awarded to 22 of them.

This hard core of African and Arab science journalists has learned to work together, across the frontiers of their respective countries, reporting on a few regional issues in ‘transborders’ articles.

Seven SjCOOP journalists have contributed to create the first ever online course in science journalism (8 lessons available in Arabic, English, French, and now in Portuguese and Spanish). Two SjCOOP journalists have become professors of science journalism in universities in Egypt and Madagascar.

Five of the associations have organized their own conferences, workshops and training activities with SjCOOP support. This was done for the first time in Rwanda and Uganda.

With SjCOOP’s conclusion, the African and Arab science journalists, individually and through their associations, are now active members of the world community of science journalists. Twelve associations from the developing world are now official members of the World Federation of Science Journalists and eight are twinned with associations in Asia, Europe and North America.

Find out more about SjCOOP. Read the SjCOOP Final Report.