The Colonist Report

Congratulations to our sister organisation, The Colonist Report Africa and our managing editor Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi for being among the 20 selected newsroom professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa to partake in the Polis LSE #JournalismAI Academy for small newsrooms out of over 282 applicants.

New: Developing story: ExxonMobil letter comes a day after The Colonist Report reported on the oil spill and protests by community residents.  Protesters are demanding cleanup and compensation for the damage. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/eDDZJy2c

New #Oil Spill Alert: An oil spill that occurred in the Niger Delta is spreading across communities’ rivers and affecting farmlands, The Colonist Report & The Colonist Report Africa have found. Locals are blaming ExxonMobil for the pollution. Read👇 https://lnkd.in/evyEA7aD

New: Despite the passage of the Prohibition of the Curtailment of Women's Right to Share in Family Property Law, The Colonist Report Africa found that women were still denied access to landed property in Nigeria. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/e7sTK5Fc This investigation is produced with funding from Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation GIJN Africa

New: “My brother and other villagers grow corn in the area. They, too could lose their land. And since we were not consulted, we do not know if they will be able to obtain compensation. Read more on how residents are sidelined in mining negotiations. 👇 https://lnkd.in/e2tqGNU2

New: Forceful eviction, deforestation, mercury and cyanide pollution, dust pollution, noise pollution and chemical contamination of soils are some of the problems associated with the transition to clean energy in Tanzania. Read more👇 https://lnkd.in/ejRvBziP

Please, support our work! Many people from remote communities in the Global South are struggling to survive amidst environmental pollution caused by multinational companies operating in their communities. Use our secure link to support our work. https://lnkd.in/ebQEKSqb

Community residents living near Letseng Diamond Mine, a subsidiary of Gem Diamonds Limited have accused the company of polluting their stream water, which serves as the source of drinking water. Locals told The Colonist Report Africa that wastewater from the company has caused death, illnesses, etc. Our findings from water samples collected from the company's waste pipe before it entered the community river revealed a high E.Coli concentration of 12 MPN/100mL, exceeding the limit of 1MPN/100mL, as well as nitrates of 30mg/L, which exceeded the acceptable upper limit of 11. Research has found E.coli to be harmful to pregnant women, and cause illnesses such as diarrhoea. We also looked at the company's corporate social responsibility for host communities. In an email, the company denied that its wastewater was the cause of E.coli and claimed that E.coli is caused by animals using the river. The Colonist Report worked with Finance Uncovered, a UK "follow the money" journalism organisation, to analyse Gem Diamonds' financial statements. We produced this eight-month investigation with the MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism in Lesotho This investigation is supported by Journalismfund Europe. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/euAaKtDY GIJN Africa Global Investigative Journalism Network Mining Outlook London Mining Network United Nations United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Greenpeace Africa Greenpeace Environmental Investigative Forum - EIF Society of Environmental Journalists Friends of the Earth

We also got to learn more about the work Finance Uncovered does for journalists and newsrooms. We truly appreciate it.

8 months of investigating into UK-Diamond company's alleged pollution revealed death, illnesses, and water contamination. Our managing editor, Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi, in collaboration with Sechaba Mokhethi of the MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism and Cindy Sipula, investigated years of community outcry, conducted scientific analysis of water flowing out of the company waste pipe into the community river, and examined seven years of the company’s revenue and profit in Lesotho. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/euAaKtDY This investigation was produced with support from Journalismfund Europe. Thanks to FinanceUncovered for providing us with relevant data to produce this story.