TN Africa has announced an ambitious plan to generate more than 1,000 climate stories and reach at least 20 million people online through its newly launched storytelling campaign aimed at amplifying Africa’s climate and food security narratives.
The announcement was made at the second TN Africa Digital Journalism Summit held in Kenya, where journalists, digital creators, and climate advocates gathered to discuss climate communication in the digital age.
Lead Convener of TN Africa Digital Journalism Summit, Senanu Damilola Wemakor, said the summit marks the beginning of a continent-wide storytelling movement.
“The summit is not the end. The summit is a means to an end. That’s why we don’t call it just a summit, we call it a movement,” he said.
Wemakor revealed that the #StoryTheChange campaign will drive submissions from across Africa, with a focus on climate and food systems reporting.
“We want to put together in six months over a thousand content and online stories on climate change across the continent, and we want to reach at least 20 million people online,” he said.
The initiative aims to mobilize journalists, students, bloggers, and digital creators to produce climate-focused stories tailored for online audiences.
According to Wemakor, digital platforms offer an opportunity to scale climate awareness more quickly than traditional media.
“When you go online, you have creators with two million followers, one million followers. What are they using these numbers for? This same audience can be used to project the message of climate change,” he said.
The summit featured two panel discussions bringing together experts from academia, climate advocacy, renewable energy, and media. Panel One included Dr. Winnie Ndeta Otsiulah, Joyce Koech, and Bonnke Museeve Mulaama.
Dr. Ndeta emphasized the role of communicators in shaping Africa’s climate narrative.
“As communicators, as digital creators, we are the gatekeepers in communication. Yet, the dominant narratives that often paint Africa paint it as a victim and a backdrop for global grief,” she said.
“And we need to go down to the people… these solutions are not to remain in the papers that we publish and put in the library shelves,” she added.
Panel Two featured broadcast journalist Miranda Gathecha and Wemakor.
Speakers discussed how digital storytelling can simplify complex climate issues and inspire community-level action.
Organizers say the campaign will continue beyond the summit, with open submissions for climate stories from across Africa.
Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/pQMi44PeZuM6YHbq9
Source: The Newsroom Africa