Embracing the shift for Africa’s Development: Solutions Journalism Over Basic Reporting

By Adeife Omolara

Looking back to the growth of journalism in Africa, one can’t but agree that a gap needs to be closed and a new frontier opened to make it more engaging.

This is what Nneka Chile spotlights in her report, suggesting that the adoption of solutions journalism, a new and growing journalism form, might just be the way forward.

Considering the fact that journalism in Africa was built on the back of emancipation, from the colonial era and the agitation for independence; then, fast-forward to post-colonial times, and its attendant laments of economic challenges, the plight of the oppressed, injustice, among others. Even till now, what we have is a regurgitation of the problems followed up with a blame game that lands at the foot of the government.

But the truth is, it should be a collective responsibility with the journalist as the mouthpiece, championing a new way to solving the problems.

A New Era
It is a new era and a new audience, hence the reason why African journalists should adopt an approach with potential to create solutions through high engagement and communal participation drive and support.

Solutions journalism favours both independent journalists and corporate or state-controlled journalists, because its helps to share new, much-needed perspectives that challenge traditional narratives and provide ideas to tackle and solve continental or regional issues. Thus, through its art of storytelling, there has been a shift from the problem to an evaluated solution premised on inspiring people and communities to take practical measures for the well-being of their environment.

In the examples cited in Chile’s report regarding developed countries like America, solutions journalism has been very helpful with the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) in supporting this global practice. It is strengthening community efficacy, challenging false and harmful narratives/stereotypes. The results have been tremendous in building trust and civic engagement, as people discover how they can respond to the world’s problems.

The Shift: Putting The Past Behind
This is where solutions journalism, a rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems, comes into the fray. The approach is focused on providing detailed, evidence-based reports of potential solutions, emphasizing actionable insights, limitations, and potential for adaptation. Unlike the traditional media -newspapers, radio and television- which is information-led; new media banks on digital technology and the internet, thereby enabling interactive and participatory engagement from the audience. In the effectiveness of solutions journalism, new media has been the game-changer with engagement on the rise and awareness about societal problems coming on the front burner and garnering interests from the locals. Its democratisation of social problems has inspired serious participation among citizens, globally.
Efforts towards the embrace of solutions journalism in Africa has been ongoing and the results will materialize over the years. Patrick Egwu in a 2022 article titled How African journalists are embracing solutions journalism had a chat with some select African journalists who participated in a three-year Solutions Journalism Africa Initiative launched by the SJN in 2020 to promote the practice of solutions journalism on the continent. Journalists from Nigeria and Kenya were trained and equipped with skills to report stories that highlight solutions-focused approaches to solving problems faced by communities.

The African Slant
As much as African journalists are trying to put the past behind them to align with the shift, they are faced with challenges of funding, data accuracy and balance in reporting to ensure quality reportage. On the importance of adopting solutions journalism for the progress of the continent and the professionalism of journalists, Nneka shares the belief that by seeking accountability through their reporting and approaching it with a sense of duty and civic responsibility to the community, African journalists can “upend negative narratives by sharing innovative local solutions to problems.”
A view that Annonciata Byukesenge, thinks maybe idealistic considering the fact that majority of African journalists like breaking news as against advocacy or solutions journalism. She buttressed the view highlighting that media owners on the continent are money-oriented as against public interest which could be a stumbling block to the growth of solutions journalism.

This leads to the challenge of funding with solutions journalism stories not getting support from employers because they do not generate revenue for media outlets. Some of them like Lillian Kaivilu, a Kenyan journalist, whose outlet exclusively covers solutions stories said “One of the ways that we have been able to raise financial resources is through fundraising but we understand that you can’t live fully on fundraising so one thing we have done also is to find our way of making an income as an organisation.”

However, its not all gloom, if one looks on the bright side as solutions stories are growing and changing the mindset of people. A good example is the story Seun Durijaiye, who, the increase in gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, chose to adopt a new way of telling her story to empower women and raise awareness on gender-based violence.

Speaking to a story she did for the International Centre for Investigative Reporting on the use of radio to provide therapy and support to victims of gender-based violence, she said, “I got tired of just saying women are victims or telling stories that portrayed women as victims,” she said.

“It just made sense to use solutions journalism to show how people were solving gender-based violence. Solutions journalism is also not about how people are working to fix things. It gives you another dimension in your reporting that a lot of people don’t usually recognise.”