A SAHARA beyond xxx initiative | 2026Telling Africa's energy story. Shaping solutions
Prize of up to $5,000, including funding, immersive learning, mentorship, and strategic exposure to shape Africa’s energy narrative.
Africa’s energy story is not only written in policies and projects, but in the everyday realities they shape. While announcements and headlines tell part of that story, the most important questions often remain unanswered.
Why do power systems fail? Who carries the burden of energy transition? What changes for a community when a project arrives? What are the most pressing environmental challenges Africa must address? How do we ensure no one in Africa is left behind in the quest for energy access?
These stories are complex, resource-intensive, and often overlooked or under-reported.
Through the Asharami Square Energy Reporting Fellowship, journalists are supported to dig deeper, report rigorously, and bring these vital stories to light - spotlighting not only the challenges, but the solutions that can shape a more sustainable energy future for Africa.
FELLOWSHIP OBJECTIVESAnchored in Sahara Group’s Beyond XXX vision, this Fellowship reflects a conscious shift from celebrating legacy to investing in the systems and capabilities that will shape Africa’s next energy chapter.
Grounded in a clear belief: strong energy systems require strong public narratives, and journalists are essential infrastructure in that ecosystem
Strengthen Energy Reporting
Strengthen journalistic capacity to report Africa’s energy systems with depth, balance, and accuracy
Build a long‑term community of journalists equipped to engage energy issues critically and responsibly
Build Journalist Community
Surface Underreported Stories
Give more visibility energy stories that illuminate trade‑offs, constraints, and real‑world impact
Drive Evidence-Led Storytelling
Support field‑based, evidence‑led storytelling that goes beyond announcements and policy soundbites
Support Africa’s transition by strengthening the quality of stories that inform policy, investment, and public trust in energy systems
Inform Transition Narratives
THE THEMEAfrica's energy story that isn't being told.
The Fellowship invites journalists to move past the announcement cycle and into the harder terrain — financing gaps, policy trade-offs, infrastructure constraints, community impact, and the working solutions that rarely make front pages.
SUBMIT YOUR STORYJournalists are invited to submit original story aligned with the Fellowship theme.
Be grounded in field reporting (infrastructure, communities, systems, data)
01
Demonstrate clear public‑interest relevance
02
Avoid promotional or advertorial framing
03
Clearly articulate why the story matters now
04
To participate, submit a well-researched and properly referenced energy-focused story on Africa or any African country, exploring key thematic issues such as energy access, power, and energy transition, written between January and June 2026.
Three lenses on Africa's energy story.
STORIES may be submitted under one of three categories:01Investigative Reporting
Stories that follow incentives, systems, and the financial and regulatory dynamics behind energy outcomes.
02Data Journalism
Reporting that translates complex data or technical information into accessible public understanding
03Solutions Journalism
Evidence‑based stories examining what is working, what is not, and why without advocacy or simplification
Fellowship Support & Benefits
FIELD REPORTING GRANT
Dedicated support to cover reporting‑related costs including travel, research, data access, and documentation
Grants are structured to enable reporting that would otherwise be constrained by access, logistics, or time
Disbursement tied to an approved and clearly defined reporting plan
Facilitation of access to relevant energy sites, subject‑matter experts, and contextual data where appropriate
Sahara Group’s role is limited to facilitation and amplification; it does not commission, approve, or influence editorial outcomes
EDITORIAL ACCESS AND SUPPORT
Support to publish completed stories through credible media platforms
Amplification via Asharami Square and Sahara Group channels, with clear attribution
PUBLICATION AND AMPLIFICATION
*All Fellowship stories retain full editorial independence.