Development Diaries
Development Diaries (DD) is a BIASED (Bold, Independent Advocacy for Social Good based on Evidence and Data) news platform by adopting an evidence-based perspective on critical issues and actively calling for action from policymakers and decision-takers.
For over a decade, we have promoted awareness and understanding of social, economic, and political issues across the continent, galvanising public opinion and prompting attention and action towards sustainable development.
Our impact
Through DD, we have championed social aspirations and respect for human rights. A notable achievement was successfully leading a campaign for the unconditional release of a popular Tunisian activist, Ayari Yassine – a whistle-blower who was arrested after exposing several corruption cases in his country in 2015.
Yassine, a finalist at the 2014 Social Media Awards Africa (SMAA), which was hosted by DD, was released after several publications demanding respect for his right to freedom of expression in the country.
Held at a time when more than one million Africans had smartphones, the SMAA was used to promote social-good use of social media and pioneering bottom-up regulation. We recorded participation from 14 African countries, active participation of top-level industry executives as jury and board members, and performances by six African artists, including Yemi Alade and Timi Dakolo. SMAA had a combined 400 million+ impressions across social media platforms, including 100 million Twitter impressions and 800+ live audience.
In 2016, the DD team was part of the delegation to the African Development Bank (AfDB) working to establish an Afrocentric pro-development media brand. And as part of the platform’s mission to promote awareness and understanding of development messages, we organised the AELEX 11th Annual Lecture for legal practitioners and arbitrators, focusing on emerging socio-economic and political issues across states in Nigeria.
Following our transition from covering only the development sector to general news in 2022, we have published at least 2,107 calls-to-action stories as we continue to mobilise action and foster a more equitable and responsive society.
