Nigeria: CJID Appoints New Executive Director, Promotes Operations Lead (2025)

As Executive Director, Mr Babatunde will spearhead CJID's strategic direction, reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Dapo Olorunyomi.

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) is poised for its next phase of growth with the appointment of Akintunde Babatunde as its new Executive Director and the promotion of Adebimpe Abodunde to Director of Operations.

Approved by CJID's board, led by Umaru Pate, vice chancellor of the Federal University, Kashere, these appointments take effect in February 2025, signifying a key evolution in the organisation's leadership.

As Executive Director, Mr Babatunde will spearhead CJID's strategic direction, reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Dapo Olorunyomi. His promotion from director of programmes underscores his proven leadership and dedication to CJID's mission of advancing journalism and development, Mr Olorunyomi said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Ms Abodunde, who has been serving as acting Director of Operations, will now formally drive CJID's daily operational efficiency across all our offices under the Executive Director's leadership."

Since joining CJID in 2017, Mr Babatunde has been a driving force behind impactful initiatives across 12 African countries. Starting as a programme associate after his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 2017, his achievements include pioneering DUBAWA, CJID's respected fact-checking platform now operating in eight countries. He also played a key role in establishing the Natural Resource and Climate Change Reporting Unit (NAREP) and the UDEME social accountability project, fostering crucial reporting in these vital areas.

He was also instrumental in launching CJID's Digital Technology, AI, and Information Disorder Analysis arm (DAIDAC), a leading regional entity tackling disinformation and foreign interference in West Africa using open-source intelligence tools.

Mr Babatunde's expertise has garnered international recognition, including his appointment as a UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Ambassador for Africa in 2019, a Chevening Scholarship to the University of Sussex in 2020 (where he earned a distinction in his master's degree focusing on media practice for development and social change), and his selection as a 2022 Mandela Washington Fellow. In January 2025, he was also recognised as a Media Transformation Challenge Fellow at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. His insights have been shared at prominent global platforms such as the European Parliament and the New York Times Climate Hub.

Ms Abodunde brings a strong finance, management, and strategic partnerships background to her role as Director of Operations. She joined the organisation in February 2019, quickly took up the role of Human Resource Manager in 2020, and stepped into the role of Operations Lead in February 2023. She has also made significant contributions to events and project management at Premium Times, CJID's sister organisation.

Ms Abodunde is a distinguished first-class Sociology graduate and a master's holder in Management from Durham Business School (Durham University, UK) and a postgraduate diploma in Innovation and Design Thinking combined taught by MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School Executive Education and Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, USA.

Prior to her work in media, she gained valuable experience in tax advisory and assurance with Deloitte Africa and business development at O2 Telefonica, United Kingdom.

She holds a Human Resource Management diploma from the Business School Netherlands and ACCA certifications in International Financial Reporting Standards, International Auditing, Public Sector Accounting and Data Analytics, demonstrating her commitment to financial integrity and operational excellence.

Established in 2014, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) is a leading African media think tank and technology institution dedicated to strengthening investigative journalism, promoting media literacy, and fostering democratic accountability across the continent.

With a growing presence in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Senegal, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and beyond, CJID empowers journalists as defenders of the values of democracy, actively combat disinformation, advances social and electoral accountability and strongly advocates for press freedom.

"These strategic appointments reflect CJID's deep commitment to nurturing leaders who possess both technical expertise and an unwavering dedication to democratic principles," stated Mr Olorunyomi.

"Akintunde and Adebimpe embody the core of our mission: to elevate journalism as a vital pillar of democracy and a cornerstone of development across Africa."