180 female journalists join WIN leadership initiative

More than 180 female journalists from 10 African countries have joined the Women in News (WIN) Leadership Accelerator programme, an initiative of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.

The selected women journalists and editors from Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe were unveiled on Thursday in a virtual launch of the 2022 cohort.

WIN Africa Director Jane Godia, said the selected journalists would undergo an intensive nine-month programme equipping them with skills to lead and transform their news organisations.

“We have doubled the number of participants in the programme this year after we received a record number of applications. The 2022 cohort will be equipped with the skills, tools and network they need to make an impact in their newsrooms,” she said.

The programme, she said, entails training, coaching, mentoring and networking of the journalists to strengthen their leadership capacities and enable them climb the leadership ladder.

WIN Executive Director Melanie Walker, said journalists who have gone through the program in the past 11 years have achieved impressive career progress.

Women's impact

“Thirty-six per cent of the 2021 cohort reported getting a promotion within three to six months of completing the programme. We also recorded 22 per cent receiving a salary raise despite the incredibly difficult times for this industry,” she said.

“Additionally, 27 per cent were given more responsibilities and 40 per cent made a career move of their choosing. This speaks to the potential of the programme to increase women’s impact in this industry, and we’re excited to see what the 2022 cohort will do.”

She said on average, one in four women who have gone through the programme is promoted within six months of graduation.

In sharing her experience, Edyth Kambalame, the 2021 WIN Editorial Leadership Award Laureate for Africa, said the programme transformed her into a better leader.

“One key element I learnt through the WIN programme is that leadership is about making a difference,” she said.

The launch was officiated by Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa, who said “it is extremely discouraging that men hold more than 70 per cent of newsroom management jobs in the majority of countries, while female journalists hold only 27 per cent.”

She said a raft of media reforms in Zimbabwe in the last three years, resulted in the appointment of three female journalists to senior executive positions in State-owned television station and newspapers. These included the appointment of a female chief executive officer to Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and editors for Sunday Mail and Manica Post.

She also named Faith Zaba, an alumna of WIN programme, appointed editor of the privately-owned newspaper, The Zimbabwe Independent.

[email protected]