A coalition of journalists, filmmakers, researchers and development communication experts has called for a decisive shift in how Africa’s development story is told, insisting the era of chronicling project launches, and ribbon-cuttings must give way to reporting that measures what actually changes in people’s lives.
The charge rang out at the founding conversation, the maiden gathering of the newly established Impact Storytelling for Development Initiative, ISDI, held in Kano under the theme “Documenting What Changed: The Future of Evidence-Based Impact Storytelling in Africa.”
The invitation-only event formally unveiled ISDI as an independent institution built around evidence-based journalism, documentary filmmaking, photography, research and strategic communication.
“Every Intervention Has Two Stories”
Setting the tone, ISDI Founder and Executive Director Ibrahim Ayyuba Isah argued that development reporting in Africa has long stopped at the halfway mark.
“Every development intervention has two stories. The first is the story of implementation. The second is the story of impact. While implementation tells us what was done, impact storytelling asks a more important question: What changed? ISDI exists to document that second story — through evidence, community voices and ethical storytelling.”
Participants agreed that despite the billions channelled into development programmes by governments, donors and civil society, the human stories proving those interventions actually work — or fail — remain largely untold.
A Call From Kano, A Message for the Continent
Dr. Musa Sufi, Chief Executive Officer of SIDES Media, welcomed ISDI as a timely and much-needed platform.
“It is inspiring to see an initiative like this coming from Kano. ISDI has given us another opportunity to make an impact — and to bring more voices into the conversation on meaningful change.”
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Musbahu El-Hamza, Solutions Journalist and host of the Fitila Podcast, pushed the conversation further, warning that development journalism cannot afford to be a highlight reel.
“Development stories do not only focus on what works; they should also examine what does not work and why. If someone tries to implement a solution and it fails, who tells that story — and explains why?”
“Building a School Is Not Development”
Abdurrahman Isah, Head of News at Cool FM/Wazobia FM and Arewa Radio, delivered one of the day’s sharpest interventions, urging reporters to leave the comfort of the cities.
“Building a school alone is not development. We can only call it development when it touches lives and improves the quality of life of the people living in those communities. That is the story journalism should be telling.”
He added that meaningful change is rarely captured in a single dispatch, calling for sustained, follow-up reporting rather than one-off headlines.
For Nafisa Murtala Ahmed, Development Journalist and Head of Programmes at Express Radio, the transformation must start from within the communities themselves.
“We are not telling our own development stories or celebrating our community achievements. Development starts with you. When you develop yourself, you can then contribute to the development of your community.”
Accountability at the Heart of the Story
Khalifa Dankadai, Founder of the KDC Foundation, framed impact storytelling as a tool of accountability — and a safeguard for the gains already made.
“Impact storytelling ensures that we do not merely report implementation but critically examine what changed, what the situation was before the intervention and how it has improved since. It helps hold donors, implementers and communities accountable — and protects the gains of development.”
Other contributors — including Dr. Najib Usman, Hannatu Suleiman, Hauwa Mustapha, Hayatuddeen Muhammad, Furera Isiaka and Umar Gombe — stressed community engagement, inclusion, research, follow-up reporting and evidence-based documentation as the pillars of sustainable development storytelling across Africa.
What Comes Next
The conversation closed with a collective pledge to build stronger collaboration between journalists, researchers, filmmakers, development practitioners and communication professionals — all aimed at documenting measurable change and amplifying community voices.
Looking ahead, ISDI announced plans to expand well beyond storytelling, through strategic partnerships, research, public dialogue and the launch of the ISDI Academy, which will train young people, women, content creators, photographers, filmmakers and journalists in evidence-based impact storytelling and documentary production.
About ISDI
The Impact Storytelling for Development Initiative (ISDI) is an independent development communication and impact storytelling institution dedicated to documenting sustainable development through evidence-based journalism, documentary filmmaking, photography, research, strategic communication and capacity building. Guided by the question “What changed?”, ISDI amplifies community voices, preserves development knowledge and strengthens accountability by documenting the measurable impact of development interventions across Africa.
