Development Experts, Journalists Advocate Impact-Driven Storytelling as ISDI Debuts in Kano
By Ibrahim Yaro
Journalists, researchers, filmmakers and development communication experts have called for a major shift in the way development initiatives are reported across Africa, urging media practitioners to focus less on project implementation and more on the measurable impact such interventions have on people’s lives.
The call was made during the maiden ISDI Founding Conversation, organised by the Impact Storytelling for Development Initiative (ISDI) in Kano under the theme, “Documenting What Changed: The Future of Evidence-Based Impact Storytelling in Africa.”
The invitation-only event also marked the official launch of ISDI, an independent development communication institution dedicated to promoting evidence-based journalism, documentary filmmaking, photography, research and strategic communication to document sustainable development across Africa.
Delivering the keynote address, Founder and Executive Director of ISDI, Ibrahim Ayyuba Isah, said the organisation was established to bridge the gap between development projects and the real-life experiences of the people they are designed to serve.
According to him, while many organisations focus on reporting project implementation, the true measure of development lies in documenting the changes those interventions bring to communities.
“Every development intervention has two stories. The first is the story of implementation, while the second is the story of impact. Implementation tells us what was done, but impact storytelling answers the more important question: What changed? ISDI exists to tell that second story through evidence, community voices and ethical storytelling,” he said.
Participants observed that although governments, development partners and civil society organisations invest enormous resources in development programmes, many life-changing stories that demonstrate their actual impact remain undocumented.
Chief Executive Officer of SIDES Media, Dr. Musa Sufi, described ISDI as a timely initiative capable of expanding conversations around sustainable development and creating opportunities for more stakeholders to contribute to positive social change.
Also speaking, Solutions Journalist and Host of Fitila Podcast, Musbahu El-Hamza, stressed that development journalism should not only celebrate successful interventions but also critically examine projects that fail and explain the reasons behind such outcomes.
Head of News at Cool FM, Wazobia FM and Arewa Radio, Abdurrahman Isah, challenged journalists to leave urban centres and report stories from underserved communities where development challenges are most evident.
He noted that constructing infrastructure alone does not constitute development unless it improves the quality of life of the people, adding that sustained follow-up reporting is essential for driving meaningful change.
Similarly, Development Journalist and Head of Programmes at Express Radio, Nafisa Murtala Ahmed, urged communities to take ownership of their development narratives.
She maintained that journalists must move beyond event reporting to telling compelling stories that reflect people’s lived experiences and inspire community-driven development.
Founder of KDC Foundation, Khalifa Dankadai, said impact storytelling plays a critical role in promoting transparency, accountability and sustainability by documenting conditions before and after development interventions.
Other speakers, including Dr. Najib Usman, Hannatu Suleiman, Hauwa Mustapha, Hayatuddeen Muhammad, Furera Isiaka and Umar Gombe, highlighted the need for stronger collaboration among journalists, researchers, filmmakers and development practitioners to strengthen evidence-based reporting across Africa.
The forum concluded with participants committing to deepen partnerships aimed at documenting measurable development outcomes and amplifying community voices.
ISDI also announced plans to establish the ISDI Academy, a capacity-building platform designed to train young people, women, journalists, photographers, filmmakers and content creators in evidence-based impact storytelling, documentary production and development communication.
Guided by the question, “What changed?”, ISDI says it aims to preserve development knowledge, strengthen accountability and ensure that the real impact of development interventions is documented and shared across Africa.