Angel Navuri – Tanzania

I was born into a family of three with one parent alive,writing, reading news online both local and international, reading novels, listening to music, watching movies, swimming, playing netball, athletics and travelling the world are just a few of my hobbies.

Working with the Guardian newspaper under the IPP media as an accomplished reporter and columnist but in 2011 l was promoted to be The Agriculture project Coodinator and head a donor funded Agriculture project. In order to make me a journalist par excellence, I have participated in several professional courses both national and international.

Between 2004 to date I have attended at least 13 specialized courses due to my ability to take on new responsibilities as well as easy adaptation to any beat I am given to cover. For instance in 2007, I had training in aviation reporting organized by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority and in 2008 I was part of an HIV/AIDS reporting course under the auspices of the Association of Journalists Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT).

Furthermore, I have attended a training of trainers in Science and Research reporting (Media Council of Tanzania), Reporting in Rural Infrastructure in South Africa organized by the World Bank, Reporting on Violence against Women in South Africa by the Gender Links Organization, participated in the CNN Journalists Awards in Durban, South Africa and Reporting on Government Statistics all in 2009.
In addition, in 2010 I gained professional training in the following: Investigative Journalism on Early Pregnancy in Tanzania (Women Dignity Organization), course in Family Planning related issues, reporting on women entrepreneurs’ market during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa by the Gender Links Organization, training in Agriculture Reporting by the World Bank and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) ,Child’s Rights reporting organized by UNICEF and investigative journalism on poor farming in Tanzania by CONCERN Worldwide.

2011 to 2012 has not been an exception. The latest attend the Edward R. Murrow Program for investigative journalists in the USA. Besides, I have been a PANOS Eastern Africa fellow for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in Tanzania. Also, I formed part of the investigative team of the Haki Elimu Organization that researched into the root causes of poor academic performance in Tanzania.

Other trainings attended training on Farmers market access reporting in Livingstone Zambia organized by The Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA), training on focusing small holder commercialization reporting in Kigali Rwanda organized by The Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) and Training on reporting agriculture linking to nutrition organized by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFRI) in New Delhi India. Budget reporting training at Rhodes University in Grahamstown organized by World bank and advance agricultural training on small holder farmers in Arusha organized by AGRA (Growing Africa Agriculture) facilitated by Highway Africa.

Meanwhile,I am an associate of the Women Press Institute for Freedom of Press based in Washington DC,l am also a member of the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) based in the USA, the Journalist Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET) and Association of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania. On the freelance scale, I do a lot of commissioned assignments for africanews.com – an online news agency with headquarters in The Netherlands – and the World Bank image network. I am a blogger as well.

I have an eye for news with good interviewing and communication skills. My ability to turn the ordinary news into an extraordinary piece distinguishes me from other colleague journalists. It has always been my passion to spearhead change and I am happy to see most of my stories transforming the lives of the ordinary person on the streets.

My investigative pieces such as the one I did on phased out anti-retroviral drugs being sold on the market, unsafe abortion by teenagers as well as the fertilizer fraud led to immediate government decisions that have corrected some ills in society. This is what keeps me going.

Other experiences l’am also good in marketing for example l managed to access funds for the project that lam heading from donors ,international organizations and other private companies. My efforts and hard work has led The Guardian Newspaper this year to scoop an award as the leading newspaper in East Africa in disseminating information on agriculture through its Kilimo Kwanza Supplement which lam handling and Managing. The company recorgnizes my efforts and determination and in September 2012 l was a warded as The Best Worker.

Other responsilities lam also coodinating Radio and TV agriculture programs that are being aired on our sister company which is ITV, Capital TV, Radio One and Capital Radio.

Generally, I will say journalism has transformed my life significantly. Besides the opportunity that it presents like meeting people from different walks of life and travelling around for training programmes, it has given me the platform to champion the cause of the weak in society. Looking back, I feel sated with what I have achieved in this short spate of time in this career and I believe I have the potential to unearth more of my talent to work with other organisation in the near future.

Angel Navuri, The Guardian newspaper