The NRGI fellowship

Application Deadline: 2 July 2018.

The Tanzania program of the Natural Resource Governance Institute in partnership with Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) is accepting applications for its 2018 Resource Governance Reporting Fellowship.

The NRGI fellowship is uniquely designed to support up to three senior or mid-career journalists to deepen their mastery of oil, gas and mining reporting through a tailored professional capacity development program over a nine-month period. Fellows will have the opportunity to engage in a range of flexible formal and informal learning opportunities including exclusive short seminars by leaders in the oil, gas and mining fields, financial and technical support for three extractives stories, attendance at global media events, and participation in a regional resource governance training event. A project advisor, along with Media Council of Tanzania and NRGI staff, will support fellows throughout the duration of the fellowship, and NRGI will provide fellows’ access to sector experts.

At the end of the term, fellows will be better equipped to analyze information about the oil, gas and mining sectors and transform that analysis into impactful stories. The fellowship will support reporters as they enhance their ability to spotlight different voices and perspectives; use multiple sources; report ethically and accountably on complex issues such as state-owned enterprise governance; reference and analyze primary oil, gas and mining documents; access and evaluate industry-related data; and reflect international best practices.

Fellows will be selected based on their interest in deepening their capacity and developing stories around four core topics:

The opportunities and challenges for utilizing Tanzania’s offshore gas;
Ensuring a fair share from the mining sector while continuing to attract investment
Balanced and accurate descriptions of the major governance problems facing the industry
Governance of state-owned oil and mining companies

Eligibility criteria

Overall, the fundamental attributes of a fellow will be self-driven, pro-active engagement and the ability to follow through on commitments and to complete the program with minimal supervision. Others are:

At least five years of continuous journalism experience
Proven record of reporting on oil, gas and mining topics (in English or Swahili)
Advanced journalism skills including the ability to apply more sophisticated journalism techniques (e.g., data analysis, document analysis, multimedia journalism and podcast production)
Newsroom leadership potential
Previous participation in an NRGI training is an added advantage
Willingness and ability to commit to the demands of the fellowship
The explicit support of their media organization to pursue all aspects of this fellowship
Women are particularly encouraged to apply

Fellowship requirements

Fellows will produce three stories—spending 2 to 3 months on each—over the course of the nine-month fellowship.
Fellows will attend the fellowship orientation, trainings and events as planned.
Fellows will contribute to industry-related online forums and be prepared to present their fellowship experience to NRGI.
Fellows are expected to comply with highest journalism ethics internationally, as well as those outlined in Tanzanian law and regulations, such as the Media Services Act (2016), the Cybercrime Act (2015) and Online Publishing Regulations (2018).
Fellows will commit to regular, defined communication with the project editor.
Fellows are required to comply with monitoring and evaluation processes, such as the logging of stories written.
Fellows will communicate with project editor and NRGI staff online or in person at mutually agreed times.
NRGI does not exert editorial control over the content published by the fellows.

Fellowship benefits*

NRGI will provide full sponsorship to fellows to participate in The African Investigative Journalism Conference at Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa (October 29-31, 2018) or a similar conference.
NRGI will provide full sponsorship to fellows to participate in one NRGI regional course, such as the Anglophone Africa Regional Extractive Industries Knowledge Hub Course.
Fellows will engage in a range of flexible formal and informal learning opportunities including exclusive short seminars by leaders in the oil, gas and mining fields.
Fellows will have access to a project editor, an NRGI staff, and access to sector experts throughout the duration of the fellowship.
Fellows will have the opportunity to apply for funding for different information resources related to the resource sector (e.g., journals, databases, libraries, publications, forums).
Fellows have the opportunity to apply for up to $750 per story to cover reporting costs with an itemized budget attributed to each story in advance of payment for fellows to complete their projects over the course of the fellowship.
Fellows will return to their media organizations better equipped to report the oil, gas and mining sectors at a more technical and informed level and to share new knowledge with their colleagues.

*All benefits are subject to terms and conditions of the fellowship.

Application

To apply, complete the online application form by 2 July 2018. You will be required to submit the following as part of the application:

Links to two previously published stories, in any format, that address the oil, gas and mining sectors in Tanzania (in English or Swahili)
Three story proposals for analysis and investigation of issues outlined in the proposal throughout the fellowship period
A statement of purpose, no longer than 500 words, which explains why you are applying for the fellowship and your interest in the priority reform topics or issues chosen
A signed consent form from an editor/supervisor and/or employer that confirms you will be given support and time to fulfill the requirements of the fellowship (unless operating as a freelancer)
A one-paged CV or resume.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit a plan for three major reporting projects under the three focus areas and to further discuss their application with NRGI staff and an external advisor.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by 6 July 2018.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the NRGI Tanzania Resource Governance Reporting Fellowship 2018

Application Deadline: June 30th 2016

The Natural Resource Governance Institute is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for the 2016 Women Leaders Fellowship.

The program seeks to increase the participation of women in the movement to promote the sustainable management of extractives for the public good. In 2016 the fellowship will be open to applicants from the following countries: Ghana, Iraq, Myanmar, Tanzania, Indonesia, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico, Colombia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Libya and Uganda.

The Women Leaders in Extractives Fellowship enables civil society leaders to develop knowledge and skills through a tailored training program, which could include one of NRGI’s training programs, and a practicum supervised by an expert mentor that will bridge the coursework and the fellow’s advocacy work. Trainings will give fellows a solid background in issues related to natural resource management. Fellows will be expected to complete background reading, communicate regularly with their mentors, and participate actively and constructively in any courses attended.

In the practicum segment, fellows will undertake a short project that demonstrates their increased level of analysis in a topical issue for their country.

Eligibility Criteria

The NRGI fellowship is for women civil society activists who will be able to immediately apply this knowledge in their work. Successful candidates must have background in development issues related to extractives to engage in nuanced discussions about policy and its application. They should also hold a role in a relevant organization or coalition, which will enable them to promote direct change as a result of the experience.

The successful candidate will have, at a minimum:

an undergraduate degree
a background or proven interest in research, monitoring and activism around extractive revenue, legal and fiscal regimes, and/or transparency
a dedicated commitment to return to their country and their current campaigns
diplomatic skills in order to constructively engage in debate with different stakeholders
excellent English skills
the explicit support of their current home organization to pursue all aspects of this fellowship

Benefits

NRGI will support fellows financially to complete their project over a period of three months.
Fellows will return to their home organizations or coalitions better equipped to take their campaigns to a more technical and informed level and share new knowledge with their colleagues.
Fellows’ travel, course tuition and accommodation will be paid by NRGI as part of the fellowship.

Application Instructions

To apply, please complete the online application form by 30 June 2016, providing:

Details on your academic and professional background
An outline of what you will seek to learn and achieve during the fellowship, including areas of research interests
CV or resume
Two professional references
Three essays (no more than 500 words apiece) that includes:
- An outline of extractive-related challenges in your country and the current work you, your organization and civil society groups more broadly are doing in response
- An outline of the challenges you feel that women in your country face in relation to the extractive industries
- A description of how you will use the learning and products from the fellowship upon return to your country and organization, and a description of how this fellowship fits into your current career goals

All candidates will be judged in an open and competitive selection process that will rate them based on:

The relevance of their work experience, training and education; their technical knowledge of and interest in the extractives sector
Their space and commitment to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills
Their ability to meet the specific mental, relational, and academic challenges of the fellowship

Short-listed candidates from each region will be interviewed by NRGI staff as well as outside advisors. Additional references may be requested.

Incomplete applications and applications not submitted in English will be automatically disregarded. For further information, please contact Helen Dempsey at [email protected].

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the NRGI Petroleum Governance Fellowship for Women

NRGInstitute Tanzania Resource Governance Reporting Fellowship 2018 for mid-career journalists (Funded)

Natural Resource Governance Institute 2016 Women Leaders Fellowship Program (Fully Funded)