Lines of impact
From neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) to malaria, to diseases which can be prevented by vaccines or caused by unsanitary conditions, millions of people across Africa continue to suffer from preventable and treatable diseases that create barriers to education, employment, gender equality, economic growth and overall development. To create sustainable change, raise public awareness and hold decision-makers accountable, the role of the media is absolutely essential. Through regular, quality reporting on these key public health issues, journalists can become powerful agents of change, enabling us to collectively reach our sustainable development goals on the continent
The Lines of Impact initiative aims to strengthen the journalists’ capabilities and generate quality media coverage on these issues. In partnership with journalists across the continent, we are working to increase the quantity and quality of reporting on the issues we care about: neglected tropical diseases, malaria, immunisation, gender equality, research and development and sanitation. Through this initiative, we are ensuring that these issues and their solutions are at the heart of media conversations. By ensuring a steady stream of media coverage, the initiative raises awareness among the general public and our decision makers and amplifies the voices of those affected or marginalised across the continent
Launched in 2021, the first edition of « Lines of Impact » focused solely on the fight against NTDs, on World NTD day on 30 January. 13 articles and a video were produced. In 2022 we have broadened the project’s themes so that the journalists taking part can communicate on all the areas we care about, and engage our champions, influencers and key voices.
The following journalists are taking part in the initiative in 2022:
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Abdullahi Tsanni, Nigeria |
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Abdullahi Tsanni is a science journalist based in Abuja, Nigeria. He reports on science, health, agriculture and biotechnology issues in Nigeria for media such as Nature, AllAfrica, Cornell Alliance for Science, Nigeria Health Watch and African Newspage. Abdullahi interviewed top scientists from across sub-Saharan Africa, detailing stories of their research, their work space and their scientific work on the continent. He volunteers with the Science Communication Hub Nigeria and the African Science Literacy Network. Abdullahi is a biochemistry graduate and a prospective MSc student in scientific communication at Imperial College London. |
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Alain Tossounon, Bénin |
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Alain Tossounon has a Master’s degree in Journalism & Media and has been a journalist for about 15 years. Editor-in-Chief and then Managing Editor of “Le Municipal”, a weekly specialising in decentralisation and local governance, he completed several certificates in water, natural resources and sanitation management before becoming a senior reporter on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Working on these matters for several years, he has covered the major events of recent years, including the 1st World Sanitation Forum in Mumbai, India in 2009, the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille in 2012 and the 7th Forum in Daegu, South Korea in 2015. Today, he has built a solid reputation with numerous awards in Benin and internationally, including the prestigious WASH Media Awards 2012 in Stockholm for publications on water, sanitation and hygiene. Alain is also known as an activist on water, hygiene and sanitation challenges. He currently heads the West African Journalists’ Network for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH-JN) which includes 15 West African countries and Cameroon.
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Amani Mounkaila Boureima, Niger |
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Amani Mounkaila Boureima is a journalist and communicator. He is Publication Manager of the Nigerian weekly “La Source”. He is also a member of the Network of Journalists for Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (REJEA), the International Francophone Press Union (UPF) and the Platform of Nigerian Journalists for Nutrition (PJ2N). |
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Harouna Drabo, Burkina Faso |
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Trained in communication and international relations, Harouna Drabo is a fact-checker journalist at Fasocheck, an editorial initiative dedicated to the practice and promotion of fact-checking in Burkina Faso. He is passionate about blogging, and has already been named the best blogger in Burkina in 2019 for his publications on water and sanitation issues. Focussing on public policies for development and the challenges of accountability, Harouna Drabo is a freelance journalist contributing analysis about socio-political news from Burkina Faso and the sub-region for various media since 2015. |
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Orphelie Thalmas, Côte d’Ivoire |
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Orphelie Thalmas is an Ivorian communications specialist and editorial consultant specialising in art, culture and feminism. She lives in Abidjan and has collaborated in particular with Bayard Presse, The Guardian, Elephant Afrique, the Goethe Institute, and Quartz. She is known for moderating debates on socio-political issues and leading media workshops (UNICEF Burkina, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Foundation, etc.). |
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Stephen Kafeero, Ouganda |
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Stephen Kafeero is a Ugandan investigative journalist. He has been active since 2010, contributing to various publications including the Daily Monitor, MSN, Quartz, AllAfrica, The East African, The Citizen (Tanzania), NTV-Uganda and The New Frame. In 2021, he was awarded an Open Society Foundation Fellowship in Investigative Journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he completed a Masters in Journalism and Media Studies. Stephen is also a member of the editorial board of the ZAM Kleptocracy project. |
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Viviane Marie Joseph Diatta, Sénégal |
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Viviane Diatta is a journalist specialising in health at EnQuête, a privately-owned daily newspaper which she joined in September 2011. She is on the Eco-social Desk, which deals with Economic, Educational, Environmental, Health and Social issues. She is the coordinator of the Association of Journalists in Health, Population and Development (AJSPD), created in 2009. With a master’s degree in journalism and communication, she is a member of the Media Association on Tobacco Control in West and Central Africa. |
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