Legit.ng’s James Ojo Selected for 2025 AIJC Investigative Journalism Masterclass
- James Ojo Adakole, a senior copy editor at Legit.ng, has been selected for the 2025 AIJC Investigative Journalism Masterclass
- Ojo was among 20 top investigative journalists in Africa selected for the programme holding in Johannesburg, South Africa
- In a statement, the organisers shared insights on the selection process and other details about the programme
The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, in South Africa, has selected James Ojo Adakole, a senior copy editor at Legit.ng, for the 2025 African Investigative Journalism Masterclass, an intensive training course on latest digital forensics and investigative journalism techniques.
Ojo, an award-winning journalist, was one of the three investigative journalists from Nigeria selected for the programme. Others are Ibrahim Adeyemi from Human Angle Media and Qosim Suleiman from Premium Times.
Source: Original
The masterclass, organised by the institution’s Centre for Journalism in collaboration with SKUP, the Association for a Critical and Investigative Press in Norway and Bellingcat, an independent investigative organisation, will hold from November 2 to 4, 2025.
It precedes the African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC2025), scheduled to take place from November 5 to 7 at the Wits campus in Johannesburg.
AIJC Masterclass organisers speak on selected fellows
In a statement, the organisers said the masterclass, conducted in English, will introduce participants to cutting edge techniques in digital forensics, including OSINT tools, geolocation, chronolocation and other verification techniques, as well as data journalism.
The organisers added that the masterclass fellows will also attend the AIJC conference, which includes more than 20 training sessions offered over the three conference days.
“The Masterclass fellows were selected from more than 400 applications received from journalists working in print, online and broadcast media, as well as investigative journalism units, training institutions and fact checking organisations, and include award winning investigative reporters, editors and trainers from 13 countries. All Masterclass fellows will attend the African Investigative Journalism Conference,” the statement reads.
A total of 20 fellows were selected across Africa for this year’s edition of the masterclass. They include journalists from Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Liberia, Kenya, Ghana, The Gambia, Central African Republic, and Tunisia.
Source: Original
What is AIJC all about?
The African Investigative Journalism Conference brings together journalists in Africa and other parts of the world to “network, share ideas and stories, celebrate excellent, groundbreaking work, and learn from one another through a series of lectures, workshops, masterclasses and seminars”.
This is the 21st edition of the conference, which prides itself as the “largest gathering” of investigative journalists in Africa.
The organisers earlier announced Fatou Bensouda, the Gambia’s high commissioner to the UK, as the keynote speaker for the 2025 edition of the conference.
James Ojo Adakole’s profile
Ojo is a graduate of mass communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu state. With a decade experience in the journalism landscape, he has won several top awards, including the 2022 Hostwriter Prize for collaborative journalism, the PwC Media Excellence Award (second runner-up), TheCable Journalist of the Year award, and Legit.ng’s Copyediting Excellence Award.
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In 2024, he won the African Prize for Investigative Journalism (PAJI), online category, for his collaborative report, which exposed health officials selling unverified medical documents in Sokoto state.
He joined Legit.ng in August 2023.
Legit.ng wins top award
Ojo’s selection for the AIJC 2025 further demonstrates the culture of excellence at Legit.ng, renowned for its leading role in Nigeria’s online media landscape.
Recall that Legit.ng clinched the Best Online News Medium of the Year award at the Nigeria Media Nite-Out Awards 2023.
Nurudeen Lawal, its Current Affairs and Politics Desk HOD, also bagged the ‘Political Desk Head of the Year’ award at the event.
Source: Legit.ng
