Data ladies, digital sensors and how to tell better stories
New Nigerian Hacks/Hackers chapter brings together technologists and journalists with three inaugural projects.
It was a meeting of curious minds and change agents, with backgrounds in the media and technology, when about 50 people gathered at Civic Hub in Yaba, Lagos for the launch of a new Hacks/Hackers community. Journalists from Punch, The Guardian and The Cable newspapers, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Radio 1 and other media outlets joined with developers from a variety of backgrounds (including the Chan-Zuckerberg backed star of the local startup scene, Andela), and other civic-minded hackers.
At this inaugural Hacks/Hackers Lagos (#HHLOS) event what we wanted was a meet and greet where we brought the community together, expand professional networks and foster new collaborations from the city at the centre of East African tech. But while as the organisers, we hope the lasting effect of this new community will be to improve the quality of data-driven research and story-telling in Lagos-based media, it was the three new — and programs launched that we think will have the most immediate effect.
Because they’re all innovative, exciting and of huge relevance here in Nigeria.
Naija Data Ladies
Being a data journalist in Nigeria makes you one of a small niche of writers who want to modernise publishing and push an ambitious agenda for adopting innovative ways of researching and reporting the news. And being on the edge of newsroom tech and pushing a difficult agenda for change can be demoralising, when there’s institutional resistance to change, little access to formal training and deadline pressures to deal with. It can be even harder if the person pushing for change is a woman in a male-dominated newsroom.
Which is why Code for Nigeria has brought together the Naija Data Ladies community, to unite female journalists from different newsrooms in common cause, promote skill sharing and generally help keep enthusiasm for innovation alive. During the event, we had the NDLs speak about their projects which ranged from health to environmental issues. A keynote address was delivered by one of the NDLs — Chika Oduah on her innovative data journalism projects in North-Eastern Nigeria.
Solar-powered air sensors
Code for Nigeria (CfN) Innovation Fellow Ademola Odoguwa introduced his plan to scatter DIY solar-powered air sensors all over Lagos, in order to track pollution and other issues in realtime.
Air quality is rarely top of the agenda for African governments, Nigeria included. It often seems like an abstract concern, something that can be dealt with after more tangible economic inequalities and health issues are tackled. But the OECD reckons that air pollution is killing three quarters of a million people a year across the continent, more than bad sanitation and malnutrition combined.
Data on air quality is patchy, Odoguwa says, and getting decent quality information about the scale of the problem and the pollution hotspots is vital to improving the quality of reporting of the issue and raising awareness. Which is why he’s building a network of sensors in 3D printed housings to deploy across Lagos. He doesn’t plan to stop there. Once Lagos is covered, he’s wants to repeat his work in other cities in other countries too.
Other CfN projects Odoguwa spoke about included one that aims to curb the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in Nigeria, and another that seeks to apply tech solutions to maternal health issues.
The launch of Code for Africa’s StoryLab Academy in Nigeria
The StoryLab Academy is a partnership between Code for Africa, Google News Lab and the World Bank’s Global Media Development Programme. It aims to help journalists, students and community activists acquire the most up-to-date digital skills for research and storytelling. It does this through hands-on practical sessions and one-on-one tuition, designed to help people required to stay relevant in this fast-paced, constantly evolving news environment. Read more about the StoryLab project here.
In addition to our communities around the world, Hacks/Hackers now has communities in Lagos, Abuja and Benin City, Nigeria. To be part of our meet ups and activities, contact us below to join. Our events are not all about business and saving the world. We are a gathering of cool, smart people and we often have awesome DJs and caterers who keep us well entertained and refreshed as we network, acquire new skills and have loads of fun!
For more about #HHLOS, contact nkechi@codefornigeria.org
The worlds of hackers and journalists are coming together, as reporting goes digital and Internet companies become media empires.
Journalists call themselves “hacks,” someone who can churn out words in any situation. Hackers use the digital equivalent of duct tape to whip out code.
Hacker-journalists try and bridge the two worlds. Hacks/Hackers Africa aims to bring all these people together — those who are working to help people make sense of our world. It’s for hackers exploring technologies to filter and visualize information, and for journalists who use technology to find and tell stories. In the age of information overload and collapse of traditional business models for legacy media, their work has become even more crucial.
Code for Africa, the continent’s largest #OpenData and civic technology initiative, recognises this and is spearheading the establishment of a network of HacksHackers chapters across Africa to help bring together pioneers for collaborative projects and new ventures.
Follow Hacks/Hackers Africa on Twitter and Facebook and join the Hacks/Hackers community group today.
