The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has announced seven Nigerian media organisations as the inaugural beneficiaries of its Local Media Sustainability Fund (LMSF), a flagship initiative designed to strengthen the long-term sustainability of independent local media across West Africa.
The announcement comes at a critical moment for journalism across the region. Local media organisations are increasingly operating in an environment marked by declining advertising revenues, changing audience consumption patterns, the dominance of global technology platforms in the digital advertising market, and tightening international support for media development. While funding has traditionally focused on supporting journalism projects and investigative reporting, comparatively less attention has been paid to strengthening the institutions that produce public-interest journalism. However, the distinction matters because if independent journalism is to endure, then independent newsrooms must also endure.
It is against this backdrop that CJID established the Local Media Sustainability Fund—to support not only journalism, but the resilience, independence, and long-term viability of the newsrooms that make it possible.
