The African Data Academy is a data skills training project for journalists working in African newsrooms. It offers a five-month, part-time course in data journalism. Successful applicants will receive an NQF Level 6 qualification.

The course is for mid-career journalists who want to add data skills to their storytelling toolkits. It provides a foundation in understanding how to find reliable data that can be used as sources for stories, how to use spreadsheets and other tools to collect and analyse data, the basic statistics you’ll need for data analysis as well how to create data visualisations and maps.

The Data Academy is run by South African data journalism company Media Hack Collective in collaboration with the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, a media journalism and communications training institution based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Who should apply?

• You’ve seen other journalists using data as a storytelling tool and wish you could do that too.
• You’re not afraid of spreadsheets and maths
• You’d like to be able to tell stories in a visual way
• You understand how data can add context to stories
• You’ve got at least five years’ experience as a journalist
• And you are ready to commit to take your journalism career to the next level

Applicants should be working journalists based in an African country. Successful applicants will be required to travel to Johannesburg, South Africa, for a week-long bootcamp in mid to late July. The remainder of the course will be conducted online. The course will be delivered in English.