About Me
Hi there! I'm Zubaida
A passionate journalist dedicated to telling stories that flip the narrative. With almost a decade of experience in the industry, I’ve had the privilege of garnering experience in both broadcasting and online print, and I’ve loved combining the two to create engaging, multimedia stories that reach a wide audience.
My work has been recognized with some amazing honors, including the 2023 Report Women Fellowship by the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism, The New Humanitarian’s first Reporting Fellowship, and being longlisted for the 2024 One World Media Award!
What Services I'm Providing
I tell stories, I refine them, and I empower others to do the same!
Reporting
My professional journey has been all about sharing stories. I have a focus on healthcare, humanitarian, and development, and I’m passionate about conveying information and helping others understand the impact and importance of these sectors.
Editing
I have also have the joy of helping others bring their ideas to life! As an editor, I’ve supported fellow reporters in shaping their ideas, crafting compelling narratives, and developing reporting plans.
Solution Journalism Training
I am also a certified solutions journalism trainer and have trained dozens of journalists, editors, and communications specialists on how to report and tell stories in a way that’s solutions-focused and forward-thinking.
What My Trainees Says
Want to know the best part about my training? It’s the people! My trainees rave about their experiences and the impact it’s had on their lives.
Despite obtaining a degree In mass communication, I knew nothing about SoJo. Zubaida was the person who introduced me to the concept and taught me that stories are not always about problems or trending issues.
Journalist based in Nigeria.
I’ve always wanted to tell my people’s stories and highlight the difficult circumstances they endure, but I lacked the abilities and understanding to do it well. That was altered in the beginning of 2023 when I had the honour of receiving training in solutions journalism from Zubaida. Her instruction was interesting and educational, and it made me realise the value of narrative and writing with a solution-focused approach. I am continuously looking to Zubaida’s writings for guidance and motivation because of her amazing narrative skills. Her work is very inspiring. I wish to write down words like her all the time.
Journalist based in Nigeria
Zubaida- The lessons and advice you shared from your training experiences prompted a double loop learning reflection that shifted the way I think about training group potentials. Thank you for both widening and bringing clarity to the impact we can aspire to as trainers.
ToT participant based in South Korea
Zubaida took me and other fellows on Solution Journalism for the Inside Nollywood Fellowship. I had heard about SoJo before, but it never quite clicked for me in the context of film journalism until she took that session and it completely changed that. What truly impressed me was her ability to bridge the gap between these two seemingly separate worlds. Her facilitation style was incredibly engaging – she wasn’t just throwing information at us, she was making us think critically about how SoJo could be applied to the stories we tell in film and I remember feeling so excited about the possibilities.
Communications Specialist based in Nigeria.
Zubaida brings a cool calm to SolJo training sessions, putting participants at ease. This is a brilliant and much-needed skill that helps keep the tone positive, constructive and enjoyable. She explains herself clearly and concisely and encourages attendees to share their ideas and ask questions without fear. You’ll come away remembering her smile and laugh and feeling like hours lasted merely minutes!
ToT participant based in UAE
Work Experience
I’ve been lucky enough to team up with some of the best in the industry. Working with these organisations has been a highlight of my career
- Editing articles, blog posts, and other content for
grammar, punctuation, spelling, and factual accuracy. - Conducting research to verify information and fact-check content.
- Collaborating with team members to create content calendar and improve content quality and meet publication
deadlines. - Supporting team members in producing engaging editorial content, staying abreast of
developments in global health and advocacy issues, trends, and best practices.
- Producing original stories from my local region for the publication’s global audience.
- Contributing content to ongoing editorial projects, podcasts and features.
- Contributing ideas for the publication’s weekly Cheat Sheet.
- Collaborating with social media teams to promote my work.
- Participating in editorial meetings and contributing to discussions on story ideas, angles, and approaches.
- Contributing to Gavi’s VaccinesWork platform.
- Writing monthly articles about health, immunisations and vaccine coverage in Nigeria.
- Curating And Editing solution-oriented reports, features and analysis.
- Analysing solutions-oriented pitches and commissioning for the platform.
- Facilitating training sessions for freelance reporters and campus journalists.
- Headed the Humanitarian desk and led in producing development and solutions reports.
- Wrote investigative reports, news, features, and analyses around development and the humanitarian sector.
- Hosted podcasts in the local language. (Hausa)
Scripted and produced multimedia content (Audio and Video). - Edited solutions-oriented reports.
- Provided reviews & features on government officials and government organisations.
- Covered news and events for publication.
- Conducted research and wrote articles on assigned topics.
- Published newsworthy stories.
- Covered news and events for broadcasting.
- Scripted and produced news reports.
- Scripted and produced news reports in Hausa and English.
- Edited the news bulletin.
Let’s Collaborate
Interested in empowering reporters and editors with the latest reporting and editing techniques in solutions journalism! I'd love to collaborate with your organisation to design a customised training session or capacity building program that meets your goals.
