ABOUT US
International Press Centre (IPC)
IPC is a leading media development and press freedom organisation dedicated to enhancing media capacities for democracy and development. With an expansive reach across all six geopolitical zones of the country—Southwest, South-south, Southeast, Northwest, North-central, Northeast, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja—IPC plays a pivotal role in supporting journalists nationwide. Although headquartered in Lagos, the industrial, commercial, and media capital of Nigeria, IPC’s activities extend throughout the country, empowering media professionals and strengthening journalism practices in all corners of Nigeria.
Founded in 1999, the International Press Centre (IPC) has been instrumental in advancing media development in Nigeria for the past 25 years. Officially registered in 2001, IPC is an independent media resource Centre that supports journalists across the country. It was established as part of the Media-for-Democracy initiative, a collaboration involving the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Article 19, Reporters Without Borders, the West African Journalists Association (WAJA), and Nigerian organisations such as Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Independent Journalism Centre (IJC), and Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER).
Country and/or State(s) of Operation in Nigeria
IPC operates throughout Nigeria, with its headquarters in Lagos. The organisation’s programs and activities reach journalists and media professionals across all six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, thus contributing significantly to media development on a national scale.
Beneficiaries/Target Audience
IPC’s primary beneficiaries are journalists and media professionals working across Nigeria. Through capacity-building initiatives and resources, the organisation targets those in the journalism field, empowering them to better engage with critical national development issues. The target audience includes journalists working in both traditional and digital platforms, who benefit from IPC’s training, advocacy, and initiatives.
In addition to media personnels, IPC’s beneficiaries include: The General Public, Female Candidates, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Government Institutions, Media Organizations, Academia and Research Institutions.
What We Do
IPC’s core thematic programmes cover:
Elections, Governance & Democracy
Accountability, Transparency & Open Government
Journalist Safety and Media Independence
Investigative, fact-checking & Data journalism
Inclusion, Conflict resolution
Labour, Migration, Environment & Climate Change
Research, Monitoring and Publishing
Vision
Media as a catalyst of development and democratic consolidation
Scope
Nigeria, West-Africa, Africa, Internationally
Approaches
Training and Capacity Building to advance specialized, professional and ethical reporting of development, governance and democratic issues
Advocacy & Campaigns for media independence, journalists’ rights, press freedom, freedom of expression, access to information, citizens’ right to know and media access to vulnerable groups
Media Monitoring & Evaluation to assess trends in media coverage of development, governance and democratic issues
Research & Documentation to provide resources and assist researchers on contemporary national, regional and international media and related issues.
Publishing of media resource books
Partnership and Networking with national, regional and international media professional bodies and support groups as well as civil society coalitions
Milestones
IPC has successfully strengthened the competencies of approximately 3,000 journalists, including a significant number of female journalists nationwide, through programs focused on issue-oriented and inclusive coverage, fact-checked reporting, investigative data journalism, and the utilisation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI).
These initiatives have contributed to the ethical and accurate reporting capabilities of journalists. Notably, these efforts have facilitated the election of female politicians, who benefited from targeted media and communication training aimed at enhancing female political representation in the country.
IPC has also established itself as a leader in monitoring media coverage related to governance and development issues. Through its dedicated initiatives, IPC has meticulously documented presidential campaign promises across multiple election cycles ensuring that commitments made by political leaders are tracked and evaluated. This has contributed to greater transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s political landscape, with IPC serving as a reliable source of information for journalists, policymakers, and the public. Additionally, IPC has collaborated with various stakeholders, including civil society organizations and government agencies, to promote media integrity and support democratic governance.
IPC Board
Mr. Edetaen Ojo
Chairman of the Board
A journalist and former Judicial Editor of The Guardian newspapers, is a renowned advocate for the right of access to information; He was honoured by the African Platform on Access to Information (APAI) with an award for freedom of information activism in 2011 while in 2017 he got the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism. He is the Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda and Chair of the Board of the Media Foundation for West Africa of which IPC is national partner in Nigeria.
Mr. Lanre Arogundade
Executive Director
Who is the founding Coordinator and Executive Director of IPC has worked across the print, broadcast (Radio) and Online media including the National Concord, Vanguard newspapers, Panos Radio and Voice of America as a journalist. A media development specialist with passion for media professionalism and independence, he is also a media trainer, researcher, advocate for freedom of the press and author of ‘Media and Elections: The Professional Responsibilities of Journalists’.
Mrs. Funke Treasure
Member of the Board
A multiple award winning international broadcast journalist, is a seasoned news anchor, producer and presenter, media trainer and Fellow of the Thomson Foundation, UK. She is author of ‘Pronunciation Guide for Second Language Speakers of the English Language’ and until her recent retirement, Assistant Director of Programmes at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Lagos Operations
Mr. Gbemiga Ogunleye
Member of the Board
A lawyer, seasoned journalist and Editor. He is a former Editor and Deputy Editor-In-Chief of Punch Newspapers and a former Director of News and Current Affairs at Television Continental, TVC. He was the pioneer Head of Corporate Communications of Arik Air and a former Vice President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors. Mr. Ogunleye is the former Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Nigeria’s leading journalism training institution.
Mr. Wale Adeoye
Member of the Board
An environmental rights activist, is an award winning journalist who has previously worked with The Punch and The Nation Newspapers. He is a four time winner of the Nigerian Merit Award (NMMA), first Nigerian to win the Steve Biko Scholarship instituted by Institute for Advanced Journalism (IAJ), South Africa and Alumni of the United Nations Institute for Research and Training, (UNITAR), Cologne Switzerland. A former CNN African Journalist of the year and four-time award winner of the Nigerian Media Merit Award and the Diamond Media Merit Award, he is the Executive Director of Journalists for Democratic Rights.
Ms. Victoria Ibanga
Member of the Board
A seasoned journalist, is a former Visiting Fellow of Freedom House in the United States and Alumna of Women’s Edition, PRB, USA. She is a former General Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, current National Treasurer of the body and the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Next Edition Online newspaper
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Contact Us
- 11, Dideolu Court, Dideolu Estate, Ogba, Lagos. Nigeria
- info@ipcng.org
- +234 802 318 6845