Behind The Bytes: April Recap

April at Dataphyte

April was a month of steady progress and meaningful impact at Dataphyte. Dataphyte told compelling stories with data, hosted hands-on training sessions, and deepened work across journalism, gender, and governance.

April reaffirmed Dataphyte’s mission to connect data, media, and civic engagement, creating tools and narratives that drive understanding and action.

From analysing budget numbers to spotlighting elections and tech trends in West Africa, we remained committed to helping people make sense of the world through data.

One of the highlights was launching a collaboration with Meta to collect voice data in Nigerian languages, an important step toward building more inclusive and locally relevant technology.

Dataphyte Insight in April: Unpacking Nigeria’s Socio-Economic Realities

In April, Dataphyte published 11 newsletters, one special investigative report, and 15 Daily Data Cards, each addressing a broad spectrum of Nigeria’s socio-economic and political issues. These data-driven publications offered incisive analysis aimed at shaping policy conversations and helping Nigerians better understand and navigate Nigeria’s ongoing macro- and microeconomic landscape.

The weekly newsletters, Pocket Science, SenorRita, Marina & Maitama, and Data Dive, provided diverse thematic perspectives, capturing national discourse and sustaining engagement with readers across Nigeria throughout the month.

Pocket Science delved into Nigerians’ economic and financial struggles, unpacking how poverty is experienced in its various forms, from absolute to multidimensional. April editions featured topics like The Growing Value of Nigeria’s Textile Imports, Urban Dreams and Economic Realities of Nigerians, and How Tough Times Make ‘Easy Money’ a Costly Trap.

SenorRita offered insights into both local and global issues affecting women. One of the editions looked at how Nigerian women and children are the most threatened by climate disaster-induced poverty, including the experience of internal migration for women, and the health implications of childbearing in their 40s due to delayed marriage or career choices. 

On policy and business in Nigeria, Marina and Maitama looked at the vulnerability of Nigeria’s financial system following the CBEX saga. It also examined the Fall of the Global Crude Oil Price and Nigeria’s Trade Outlook in the face of new U.S. tariffs.

Data Dive discussed the Game of Chess in Nigeria following a new Guinness World Record set by Tunde Onakoya for the longest chess marathon, and dived into the killing and tragedy in Plateau state, amidst other critical issues, including the National Police Day and World Autism Day.

Dataphyte also published a special investigative report on Kogi State’s Lithium Mine, unpacking the interplay of foreign interests, community tensions, and growing security concerns surrounding the mineral resource.

Meanwhile, the Daily Data Cards brought timely and topical data insights to social media conversations. With 15 themed infographics published daily, April’s highlights included a timeline of Popes who have led the Roman Catholic Church since the 1990s, a state-by-state breakdown of party leadership following the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori from PDP to APC, and a list of countries where Nigerians can now renew passports using the Contactless Biometric Passport application.

Dataphyte Academy: Data Story Lab 5.0

Dataphyte Academy organised and hosted a Data Hackathon that brought together journalists, researchers, and data experts to explore the national 2025 budget across key thematic areas, leveraging data to uncover trends and gaps. Dataphyte facilitators walked the participants through how to clean the datasets detailing capital expenditure breakdowns for WASH projects, electricity interventions, and health initiatives across various MDAs.

Chibuike Alagboso, Director of Media Programmes at Nigeria Health Watch during his session on Solutions Journalism

Beyond the 2025 Budget Hackathon, Dataphyte also convened journalists and researchers for our fifth edition of the Data Story Lab, which was centred on solution journalism. The participants were trained on how to interpret and report data through a solutions-focused lens. This edition attracted 112 registered participants from 65 newsrooms and universities across six countries: Algeria, Spain, Ghana, Kenya, the United States, and Nigeria.

Innocent Eteng, Managing Director and Business Development Lead at Prime Progress during his session on Using Data in the Sojo Context

Our facilitators for the training included Chibuike Alagboso, Director of Media Programmes at Nigeria Health Watch; Innocent Eteng, Managing Director and Business Development Lead at Prime Progress; and Dataphyte’s trainer, Kehinde Ogunyale. The session was attended by over 50 participants.

Watch the recording here

Strengthening Gender Narratives with Data: Highlights from CJID’s Journalism Workshop

Dataphyte Country Director, Oluseyi Olufemi, with Khadijat Kareem the head, Policy, Research, and Communication (PRC), had a training session on Data-Driven Journalism: Using Evidence to Report on Gender Disparities offered participants a comprehensive deep dive into leveraging data for gender-focused reporting. 

The two-day Gender-Sensitive Reporting Workshop training was organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).

Khadijat Kareem the head of Policy, Research, and Communication (PRC) at Dataphyte during her session on Data Driven Journalism: Using Evidence to Report on Gender Disparities

The session covered how to identify and access credible gender data, highlighted a range of reliable sources, both national and international and practical strategies for analysing and interpreting gender-related data.

Oluseyi Olufemi the Country Director at Dataphyte during his session on Data Driven Journalism: Using Evidence to Report on Gender Disparities

The training also explored how to craft evidence-based narratives while minimising bias and ensuring ethical representation of gender issues. The participants were introduced to Dataphyte's gender in Nigeria 2025 report, recommending it as a credible and data-rich resource for gender reporting and advocacy

Oluseyi Olufemi presenting Dataphyte’s latest publication on Gender in Nigeria 2025

Webinar: Data, AI, and Elections in West Africa

Dataphyte remains firmly committed to advancing development not only within Nigeria but across the broader African continent. Our work continues to reflect a deliberate investment in promoting socio-economic progress, good governance, and democratic resilience.

In April, this commitment took shape in several impactful ways. Notably, we convened a webinar to address fundamental issues shaping elections across West Africa. 

The conversation focused on electoral integrity in Nigeria and West Africa and explored how data and emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), can enhance electoral efficiency and support stronger electoral management systems. Speakers, which includes Ayisha Osori the Director at the Open Society Foundations Ideas, Khadijah El-Usman the Senior Programmes Officer at Paradigm Initiative, and Samson Itodo the Executive Director at Yiaga Africa highlighted the declining voter turnout in the region, noting that a lack of electoral integrity is contributing to growing voter apathy and eroding public trust in democratic processes. 

Ayisha Osori the Director at the Open Society Foundations Ideas during the panel session at the webinar

The discussion also emphasised the dual impact of technological advancement: while AI and other technology innovations offer significant opportunities for improving the electoral process and decision-making, they also introduce new complexities. Challenges such as misinformation, weak data integrity, data mismanagement, technical failures, and lack of transparency in electoral processes continue to undermine confidence in elections.

Khadijah El-Usman Senior Programmes Officer, Paradigm Initiative during the panel session at the webinar

While emphasising that not all technology qualifies as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the discussion broadened the narrative around AI in elections beyond its association with disinformation.

Samson Itodo Executive Director, Yiaga Africa during the panel session at the webinar

Speakers highlighted its broader potential use cases, including improving the accuracy and maintenance of voter registers, enhancing result collation and management, and supporting efficient voter data handling. The conversation called for a more nuanced understanding of how AI can serve as a strategic tool for electoral reform and system strengthening across the region. 

Watch the recording here

AI Innovation: Goloka.io and Beyond

Goloka Analytics partnered with Meta, Facebook's parent company, to drive innovation in African language technology by collecting data in five Nigerian local languages, including Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Fulfulde, and Urhobo, to train Meta's Multilingual AI models.

The collaboration will facilitate the ethical collection of local language data to power new tools for speech recognition and machine translation, including multilingual AI models that reflect indigenous knowledge and improve access to information. This project aligns with Goloka's mission to provide hyperlocal insights supporting development work and private sector innovation across Africa. 

Register on Goloka here

This April, we focused on strengthening Goloka's functionality and security. A key highlight is the introduction of a private contributor feature, enabling organisations to invite selected contributors to participate in closed campaigns. We're committed to refining this feature to ensure a seamless and secure user experience.

Additionally, we enhanced the platform’s security framework with a Know Your Customer (KYC) verification system. This update helps authenticate contributor identities, prevents duplicate account registrations, and fosters greater trust across the Goloka ecosystem.

Dataphyte's Global Media Engagement and Advocacy

Dataphyte Shares Insights on the Difficult Conversation Africa Podcast

Our Founder, Joshua Olufemi, was featured as a guest on the Difficult Conversation Africa podcast, a pioneering platform that confronts complex and often overlooked issues across the continent. The episode, hosted by Mr. Yinka Olaito, a seasoned media communications expert and author with over two decades of experience in Africa, centred on the pivotal role of data as a foundational tool for both organisational and national development.

Joshua Olufemi, founder of Dataphyte, speaking on the Difficult Conversation Africa podcast, hosted by Mr. Yinka Olaito

During the conversation, he outlined key reasons for the persistent data gaps in Nigeria, citing cultural and policy shortcomings, chronic underfunding of data infrastructure, limited people-centred engagement, weak policy-making capacity and inadequate long-term planning as major barriers.

Dataphyte at the 2025 International Journalism Festival

At this year’s International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, Joshua Olufemi joined a distinguished panel, featuring Gina Chua, Executive Editor at Semafor, and Josef El Mahdi, News Commissioner at Swedish Radio, to discuss how newsroom leaders can adopt AI responsibly. 

The session, moderated by Lwazi Maseko, Programme Officer at JournalismAI, explored how media organisations can integrate AI tools without compromising trust, transparency, or job security. The conversation emphasised the importance of collaboration, ethical implementation, and proactive leadership in addressing concerns around AI-driven transformation in newsrooms.

Joshua Olufemi, founder of Dataphyte, speaking at the 2025 International Journalism Festival

According to Joshua Olufemi, AI in the newsroom isn’t about automation, it’s about amplification. At Dataphyte Foundation, the development of Nubia AI was driven not just by a need for speed but by the desire to tell deeper, more meaningful stories, stories grounded in data, shaped by context, and delivered with integrity.

He emphasised that AI offers journalism scale, speed, and salience, but more importantly, it presents a powerful opportunity to re-humanise storytelling in our increasingly digital world.

Dataphyte Shared Expert Insight on Strengthening Investigative Journalism

At the Journalism and Society Conversation hosted by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Joshua Olufemi joined a distinguished panel. The discussion focused on strengthening investigative journalism through local support and sustainable models. 

According to Olufemi, donor funding, especially from foreign sources, has played a pivotal role in sustaining investigative journalism in Nigeria. It has boosted capacity development and helped resource the broader ecosystem. However, donor priorities often shape editorial direction, pushing journalists to chase thematic trends, be it climate, data, or health journalism, at the expense of a more holistic investigative lens.

He believes that we must become audience-centric, returning power to the people investigative journalism is meant to serve. This includes embracing niche, hyperlocal storytelling and shifting focus from individual brilliance to ecosystem development. 

Celebrating Women's Voices in Digital Spaces: Hosting TechHer at the Dataphyte Hub

As part of our Women’s History Month initiative, Dataphyte opened up its theatre space to organisations championing women-focused causes, and we were thrilled to host TechHer for their April event titled “Women, Digital Spaces & The Media.”

Comms strategists, photojournalists, storytellers, filmmakers, and thought leaders gathered at the Dapo Olorunyomi Theatre in Dataphyte Hub during the TechHer Comms Hangout

The event was a lively and insightful gathering, bringing together women to explore how digital platforms shape narratives, amplify voices, and influence the media. It was a joy to provide a space where these important conversations could thrive, and we’re proud to have contributed to amplifying women’s presence in the digital world.

Comms strategists, photojournalists, storytellers, filmmakers, and thought leaders gathered at the Dapo Olorunyomi Theatre in Dataphyte Hub during the TechHer Comms Hangout

The Dataphyte Hub is open to organisations seeking a space to host programmes that inspire community, spark creativity, and drive meaningful impact. Interested in partnering with us? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out at [email protected].

And don’t forget our co-working spaces are designed for comfort and productivity. With uninterrupted power supply, complimentary coffee and water, and a calm, cool environment, they’re perfect for getting work done without distractions.

Strengthening Collaboration: Forum of Federations Visits Dataphyte

Dataphyte hosted Mikang Longjan and Shawn Houlihan from the Forum for Federations. The visit was part of the Forum’s strategic learning mission aimed at informing the design of an initiative focused on enhancing women’s political participation in Nigeria. 

Mikang Longjan and Shawn Houlihan is Senior Director for Africa at the Forum of Federations during the courtesy visit in Dataphyte

During the visit, the team at Dataphyte shared the organisation’s strategic efforts in promoting data-driven governance, civic technology, and policy accountability. We also took the delegates through a rundown of Dataphyte’s programs and initiatives geared toward advancing gender equality through data-driven gender advocacy. 

Mikang Longjan and Shawn Houlihan is Senior Director for Africa at the Forum of Federations during the courtesy visit in Dataphyte

In addition, the role of evidence, data insights, and digital innovation in shaping inclusive political processes was explored during the visit, while identifying potential areas of synergy and future collaboration between Dataphyte and the Forum of Federations.

Looking Ahead

April was a testament to Dataphyte’s continued dedication to using data to shape narratives, inform decisions, and foster inclusive development. From gender reporting and investigative journalism to technological innovation and civic engagement, we remained at the intersection of data, policy, and impact. 

As we step into May, we carry forward this momentum, building stronger partnerships, expanding our data storytelling, and deepening our commitment to evidence-based action across Nigeria and West Africa. Stay connected as we continue to transform information into inspiration, one byte at a time.

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