In 2021, the InfoNile program run by Water Journalists Africa (WJA) supported 100 journalists from 10 countries in the Nile Basin. This JRS-funded effort is growing data-based environmental journalism and uncovering critical biodiversity stories.

WJA also engaged 84 journalists, editors, photographers, and science communication students from 11 countries in four comprehensive training and mentorship programs focused on data journalism, science reporting, multimedia storytelling, and photojournalism.

Three cross-border projects were produced in 2021 and InfoNile received an award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting from the worldwide Fetisov Journalism Awards for their 2020 cross-border project, Sucked Dry. This project sheds light on the impacts of large land acquisitions by foreign investors in the Nile Basin.

Although the focus is on freshwater biodiversity issues, stories often reach beyond freshwater, like a new sustainable charcoal from maize stalks to counter the high rate of deforestation in Burundi.

Check out InfoNile’s editor picks at Top Stories from the Nile 2021.