Energy
Asharami Square Fellowship’ll Promote Solutions Journalism for Africa’s Energy Future – Ndisika
- Fellowship submission deadline now November 30, 2026_
By Oluwayanmife Lucas
Africa’s energy future will be shaped not only by infrastructure, financing and policy reforms, but also by the quality of journalism informing public understanding of the continent’s energy realities, according to Professor Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, Lead Assessor for the inaugural Asharami Square Energy Reporting Fellowship.
Ogwezzy-Ndisika called on journalists across Africa to move beyond problem-centred reporting and embrace solutions journalism as a catalyst for sustainable development and energy transformation.
Open to practising journalists across print, broadcast, digital and multimedia platforms, the Asharami Square Energy
Reporting Fellowship offers access to expert-led masterclasses, mentorship opportunities, facility tours and engagement with industry experts. The overall winner will receive a $3,500 grand prize as part of a Fellowship package valued at up to $5,000.
The communications scholar said energy reporting has traditionally focused on grid collapses, energy poverty, policy bottlenecks and funding deficits.
“Pointing out the darkness without illuminating the pathways to light leaves our communities paralysed by despair rather than empowered to act,” she noted.
Describing the Asharami Square Energy Reporting Fellowship as a transformative initiative, she said it seeks to elevate African journalists from chroniclers of energy challenges to contributors to Africa’s energy transformation journey.
“We are looking for stories that inform public discourse, influence legislative action and hold power accountable. Journalists must not settle for shallow headlines. They should trace the funding, critique the technology, interrogate the policies and highlight the responses transforming Africa’s energy landscape,”
Ogwezzy-Ndisika stressed that solutions journalism is neither advocacy nor public relations, but evidence-based reporting grounded in accountability, scrutiny and measurable impact.
“When African journalists apply this framework to energy funding, decentralised mini-grids or regulatory reform, they don’t just report on power, they generate power. They shift public debate from asking why Africa is in the dark to exploring how communities, innovators, financiers and policymakers are helping keep the lights on and what can be scaled,” she said.
Speaking on the significance of the initiative, Bethel Obioma, Head, Corporate Communications, Sahara Group, said the Fellowship reflects the Sahara’s belief that journalism has a critical role to play in advancing Africa’s energy future.
“Africa’s energy story requires more than reporting challenges. It requires journalism that interrogates responses, highlights practical solutions and deepens public understanding of the realities shaping the continent’s energy landscape,” he said.
Obioma said Sahara would through thie Fellowship support journalists who can tell evidence-based stories that influence policy, investment and development outcomes. “We urge African journalists to visit www.asharamisquarefellowship.com to apply today ahead of the November 30th, 2026 deadline,” he added.
He noted that submissions will be evaluated on five key pillars: integrity and accuracy, originality and depth of research, balance and context, solutions-focused rigour, and practical impact.
Assessors will prioritise stories supported by credible data, strong fact-checking, under-reported perspectives and evidence of real-world impact.
The Asharami Energy Reporting Fellowship, established under Sahara’s Beyond XXX platform, is designed to strengthen journalism around energy access, infrastructure, financing, sustainability, innovation and policy across Africa. It forms part of Sahara’s commitment to investing in platforms and people that help shape Africa’s future through informed discourse and practical action.