WanaData wins in 2020 — and what’s next
Tags: Wanadata, Data Journalism

WanaData work in 2020

The pandemic meant that WanaData meet-ups and training had to be fully online. It also presented an opportunity for us to launch ‘Outbreak’, a data-driven journalism project aimed at strengthening critical reporting around Covid-19-related issues across Africa — many of which affected women and minority groups.

Other projects included MapMakoko, InfoNile’s “Sucked Dry” series, and Twaweza, which focused on partnering with in-country organisations to mentor and train women to produce data-driven journalism on issues that directly affect them.

Outbreak: Africa’s Data Journalism Alliance Against Covid-19

The pandemic brought to light vulnerabilities within African countries and economies — often impacting women, children and minority groups most. The WanaData community worked extensively on Covid-19-related stories, and in cooperation with Code for Africa and the Pulitzer Centre on Crisis Reporting, community members published a selection of stories. Read some of these below:

Habibat Funmi Obadofin:

Lady Ejiro Umukoro:

Blessing Oladunjoye:

Poor, Vulnerable, PWDs Left Behind As States Adopt Online Teaching’ on BoNews and Sahara Reporters.

Olatokewa Ayoade:

The Economic Repercussion Of Coronavirus Pandemic On Nigerians on Kiss FM and TheFact Nigeria.

Purity Mukami:

The troubled suspected Covid-19 intermediary host on Piga Firimbi.

Anita Igbine:

Water poverty in Nigeria: Effects and impacts of COVID-19 on The Guardian Nigeria.

MapMakoko: Drone mapping in Nigeria

Through Code for Africa’s MapMakoko project, 17 women were trained in drone mapping and data-driven reporting skills, which has led to the mapping of Makoko, a marginalised low-income neighbourhood in Lagos State, Nigeria. The impact of this project — funded by HOTOSM and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and supported by local NGO Makoko Dream — was published in many reputable mainstream media outlets across the world including Agency France Press, Pulitzer Center, Yahoo News, CNN, BBC, Aljazeera English, Urbanet, Guardian Nigeria, Deccan Herald, Devex and Pulse Nigeria.

Sucked Dry: Water security and climate change in East Africa

Code for Africa’s WanaData community and InfoNile co-produced a large multimedia report on water security and climate change in the Nile Basin region in Africa. The collaborative project, named ‘Sucked Dry’, involved women journalists in East Africa and won the Best Data Visualization Award at the WAN-IFRA African Digital Media Awards 2020. The full reportage was published by New Vision in Uganda and is available online.

Under the InfoNile Data Training and Mentorship Programme, facilitated by Code For Africa, journalists produced outstanding data journalism stories on water security, wildlife conservation and climate change in the Nile Basin region. A number of the stories are listed below.

Sharon Atieno:

Saving the population of the rothschild giraffe in Kenya, Science Africa

Linah Mwamachi:

Communities close to Kenya’s Tsavo National Park plant trees to save wildlife, Sifa FM Voi

Lenah Bosibori:

Kenyan Conservancies Unable To Pay Leased Land Amid Covid-19 Linked Drop In Tourism Revenue, Talk Africa

Janet Murikira:

Twaweza: Women Data Journalism Project

Five WanaData members are currently working on 10 substantive media packages, with each consisting of journalistic reports, infographics and social media campaigns, that take an evidence-based look at how the pandemic impacted women and other vulnerable groups in Tanzania. Keep an eye out for these stories on Code for Africa’s social media profiles over the next month.