We are pleased to announce the launch of a new fellowship aimed at supporting journalists in investigating illicit economies and instability in West Africa. The initiative seeks proposals for in-depth investigative pieces, specifically from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.

The Fellowship is part of the GI-TOC's flagship Resilience Fund, which provides grants and support to civil society individuals and organizations working to counter the impacts of criminal governance and violence across the world.

Benefits of GI-TOC Journalism Fellowship

We will select and support seven proposals in total to investigate different contexts of illicit economies and instability through the following mechanisms:

Grants: This fellowship aims to address lack of financial support by providing grants for each successful applicant of €8 000 to journalists who submit successful proposals that link organized crime to instability issues.

Capacity building: The grantees will have access to specially tailored capacity-building sessions. The Resilience Fund will provide each fellow with a mentor to support them in navigating their specific challenges and help them with opportunities to raise the profile of their work. The Resilience Fund’s liaisons will support the fellows by providing one-on-one project management technical assistance when needed.

Networking and collaboration: The fellows will have opportunities to meet virtually at workshops, trainings and dialogues facilitated by the Resilience Fund, the GITOC West African Observatory of Illicit Economies and our partners. They will be invited to join the Resilience Fund Community Platform, which will give them access to funding opportunities, global dialogues and multilateral engagement after the Fellowship ends. There may be opportunities for in-person engagement.

Requirements for GI-TOC Journalism Fellowship

This fellowship is designed for journalists from Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.  Applicants must therefore be based in, and a national of, one of these countries. Preference may be given to those based in or reporting on the northern areas of these countries.

Proposals should demonstrate a clear understanding of illicit economies within a conflict ecosystem and show knowledge of local socio-political landscapes. Applicants must also exhibit awareness of security risks associated with reporting on these topics.

The Resilience Fund invites applications from all ethnic backgrounds, ages, religions or other defining characteristics. Applicants must have full or professional working proficiency in English or French.

Selection Process

Applicants will be shortlisted for interviews based on the following four criteria:

Contextual relevance

Narrative development

Solution feasibility

Capacity to build community resilience

Each grantee will be awarded a total of €8 000, payable in two instalments of €4 000. The use of these funds should adhere strictly to the principles of professionalism, integrity and transparency; be consistent with the plan proposed in the application; comply with the terms and conditions of the grant agreement; and be used to engage in collaborative activities with other grantees.

Application Deadline

August 13, 2024

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) on gp6amz239q7.typeform.com to apply

Candidates should submit an application through the online form available at the end of this section.

Please make sure that your responses are clear, succinct and do not exceed the maximum of words stablished.

You will not be able to attach any documents to your application. Please make sure that you have included all relevant information in the online form. It will not be possible to edit it once it has been submitted.

Applications will not be received by email. They must all be submitted via the online form.

If you have technical issues uploading your application or if you have any questions, please contact: [email protected]