IMPACT: AI-Powered Investigation by The Colonist Report Africa Recognized by Reuters Institute, Cited in Nigerian Seminar

The Colonist Report founder, Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi, will also speak at the Centre for Investigative Journalism summer conference in June.

LONDON – Since The Colonist Report Africa released its investigation into flooding in Southern Nigeria, in collaboration with The Colonist Report UK , the story has received international attention.

 JournoTECH, the tech department of both organisations played a key role by using AI technology to analyze over 3,000 pages of funding documents, helping the newsroom uncover important details. This investigation has also become an example used for training other journalists.

On November 27, 2024, The Colonist Report Africa published its findings on the floods in Rivers State, Nigeria, including how government funds were allocated and spent. We used AI to gather documents, analyze the data, and double-check the facts before creating clear visual summaries of our findings.

The investigation sparked a lot of interest from editors and journalists who were curious about how a small newsroom like ours could use AI to enhance its work.

Our founder, Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi, was interviewed by Laura Oliver from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, where she discussed the investigation process. The full story can be read here.

Additionally, Nigerian journalist Mohammed Auwal Ibrahim, Media Director and Editor-in-Chief of Halal, cited our investigation in his seminar at the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi. He was invited to speak about the ethical use of AI in journalism.

Ibrahim highlighted how media organizations like The Colonist Report are using AI responsibly to improve journalistic work.

He also shared our investigation on social media to show other small newsrooms what AI can help them achieve.

The Centre for Investigative Journalism in London, United Kingdom, has also invited Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi to speak at their 2025 Summer Conference. Her talk will include discussing our AI-powered investigation and various AI tools for journalists. The event is set for June 2025, and more details can be found on the organization’s website.

The Colonist Report Africa and The Colonist Report UK are small but growing media outlets that combine technology and journalism. JournoTECH helps lead this innovation by training journalists to use AI responsibly and effectively.