The Media Career Development Network (MCDN), a non-profit organisation, has launched a career development programme aimed at enhancing the professional growth of journalists across Nigeria. The programme tagged “Media Career Check-up/Media Career Fix”, is an initiative supported by Nigeria LNG Limited. Speaking at the launch of the programme in Lagos on Thursday last week, Executive Director …
MCDN Launches Career Development Programme for 150 Journalists in Nigeria
The Media Career Development Network (MCDN), a non-profit organisation, has launched a career development programme aimed at enhancing the professional growth of journalists across Nigeria.
The programme tagged “Media Career Check-up/Media Career Fix”, is an initiative supported by Nigeria LNG Limited.
Speaking at the launch of the programme in Lagos on Thursday last week, Executive Director of MCDN, Lekan Otufodunrin, said more than 150 journalists working in print, broadcast and multimedia organisations are participating in the training programme.
Otufodunrin, a seasoned journalist and former managing editor of The Nation newspaper, presented a report of a survey conducted to ascertain career challenges of journalists hindering their progress and specific support they require to achieve their career goals and aspirations.
According to him, the survey found that many lack mentorship and career guidance, access to opportunities, necessary information and data resources, tools, training and digital Capacity to produce quality content.
The findings also include poor remuneration, safety concerns, and institutional constraints.
He said the findings of the survey on the challenges of journalists informed the decision of the organisation to enroll all 158 persons who applied for the Media Career development programme instead of only 30 beneficiaries as originally planned.
Highlighting the importance of on-the-job training, Otufodunrin noted that there is a lack of an in-built system for regular training and career check-up in the media work environment, which affects the career growth of many practitioners.
“Where they exist, many don’t know and don’t take advantage of them. Many of us work, work and work until we crash out,” he noted.
The MCDN executive director explained that the Media Career Check-Up is modelled after the well-known medical check-up, intended to assess the well-being of individuals and take necessary treatment and precautions to stay healthy. “Early detection is key to treating any disease, however severe, and this can also be applied in our profession,” he stated.
MCDN organised its first Media Career Check-Up in 2025 in partnership with the United States Consulate in Lagos, where the group offered tailored insights for developing a successful career in the journalism profession.
According to Otufodunrin, the 2026 edition of the Media Career Fix will, based on the findings of the survey, focus on offering journalists tailored recommendations. He added that during the programme, they will participate in relevant training sessions and mentoring/coaching opportunities.
“To support the journalists in fixing the challenges revealed in the survey responses, the MCDN plans to offer each of them personalised replies, participation in webinars covering cross-cutting challenges and Bi-Monthly mentorship and accountability sessions,” he stated.
They will also receive training in digital skills, economic empowerment, and sustainability strategies.
Otufodunrin hailed the Nigeria LNG Limited for supporting the initiative and encouraged participants to take advantage of the professional development opportunities offered to them.
In her keynote address, Career Mentor at BBC, Omotola Adebanjo, called on journalists to take personal responsibility for their career growth rather than waiting for newsrooms to develop them.
In the keynote address titled “Fixing You First: The Hard Truth About Building a Journalism Career in Nigeria,” Adebanjo, an Editor at Gist Nigeria, with about three decades of experience in Media, pointed out that the dynamics of journalism storytelling are evolving due to the influence of technology.
She urged journalists to learn to adapt and tailor their work to address the needs of the audience.
“The truth is your career is not stuck; you are. Start by fixing yourself and decide who you are becoming,” Adebanjo told journalists gathered at the International Press Centre in Ogba, Lagos.
“The dynamics of journalism storytelling is evolving rapidly, audiences are no longer satisfied with traditional news reporting methods,” she added.
She advised journalists to have mentors and build their skills for a successful career. She also emphasised the need for journalists to have multiple skills in digital media to remain relevant.
“Decide who you are becoming. Find one mentor immediately and start building skills beyond your job description,” she advised.
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The multimedia journalist said becoming a successful journalist is not by chance but through deliberate efforts, adding that there is no right newsroom but a right mindset.
She highlighted challenges journalists face, which include low or no pay, unstable employment contracts, political pressure, shrinking or non-existent investigative budgets, and financial constraints for media organisations.
Adebanjo called on news organisations to invest in training, and building “structured mentorship pipelines” and “stop treating journalists as replaceable labour”, warning that a newsroom that doesn’t develop its staff is planning for decline.
She stressed the need for news organisations to always reward innovation, not just routine reporting, and also protect editorial independence.
While advising journalists on fiscal responsibility, Adebanjo said they should learn to live within their means, diversify income streams (legally), when possible, and plan for post-retirement.
Special guests at the event included MCDN Board of Trustees member Alhaja Sekinat Lawal; Executive Director of Illuminate Nigeria Development Network, Ms. Anikeade Funke-Treasure; Founder of The Journalism Clinic and Executive Director of Media Mentors Leadership Academy, Ms. Joke Kujenya; Founder of Debisibusybee Media, Mrs. Adebisi Adetunji.
The programme launch drew both physical and virtual participants from across the country.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist, scholar and analyst of socioeconomic issues in Nigeria and Africa. He is skilled in energy reporting, business and economy, and holds a master's degree in Mass Communication. He can be reached via @VICTOREZEJA on X