The Impact Storytelling for Development Initiative (ISDI) has launched its capacity-building arm, the ISDI Academy, with the inaugural Future-Ready Communicators Bootcamp 1.0, equipping 25 emerging communicators with practical skills to communicate development more effectively.

The two-day Bootcamp, held in Kano on August 8 and 9, 2026, was themed “Stories That Matter. Skills for the Future.” It brought together communicators from diverse professional backgrounds for practical learning in development communication, storytelling, artificial intelligence (AI), visual communication and strategic communication.

The launch marks an important step in ISDI’s broader institutional vision of strengthening communication as a catalyst for sustainable development across Africa.

ISDI Academy is one of four institutional arms through which ISDI delivers its mandate. The other arms are the Impact Story Hub, which focuses on evidence-based impact storytelling and documentation; ISDI Conversations, which provides platforms for dialogue, knowledge exchange and engagement; and ISDI Advisory, which provides strategic communication and development communication support to institutions and organisations.

Speaking at the opening of the Bootcamp, Ibrahim Ayyuba Isah, Founder and Executive Director of ISDI, described the launch of the Academy as a significant milestone in the development of the organisation.

He said the Academy was established to create a practical learning platform where communicators can develop the knowledge, skills and confidence required to communicate development issues in an increasingly digital and rapidly changing environment.

The 25 participants in the inaugural cohort were selected from 227 applications, reflecting significant interest in the Academy’s focus on future-ready communication.

Isah encouraged participants to ask questions, challenge ideas, build relationships and learn from one another throughout the programme, while expressing appreciation to the facilitators and partners who supported the initiative.

The Bootcamp featured sessions on Communication for Sustainable Development; Finding and Building Powerful Stories; AI for Today’s Communicator; and Visual Communication: Capturing Stories through Mobile Video and Photography for Development Communication.

Facilitators included Dr. Isah Nasidi of the Sahel Centre for Information, Media and Development Research (SCIMDER); Dr. Musa Abdullahi Sufi, CEO of SIDES Media; Nasiru Muhammad Auwal, Founder and CEO of Drone Forge Africa and AI strategist; Auwal Sani, ISDI Programmes Officer; and Sulaiman Abdullahi Danladi, Founder of AD Visuals and Creative Corner Community.

The programme also featured a Fireside Conversation on Purpose, Creativity and Leadership, led by Alhassan Hamza Hussaini, Advocacy and Campaign Officer at Plan International.

The Communicating for Impact Challenge provided participants with an opportunity to apply concepts and skills acquired during the Bootcamp to real development issues.

Speaking during the programme, Dr. Isah Nasidi said the Bootcamp was helping to address gaps in communication training by bringing professionals and academics together.

“What ISDI is doing is the right thing. It is trying to bridge the gap that has been disturbing us for years.”

Participants described the Bootcamp as practical, engaging and different from conventional training programmes.

Moshood Isah, a communications professional, public affairs and policy analyst, said the balance between theory and practical learning made the Bootcamp stand out, describing the experience as “eye-opening, impactful, and humbling.”

Sadiya Abdulaziz Muhammad, a voice-over artist and storyteller, said, “I came here and walked out of here as a different person,” while Habeeb Nabeellah Yakasai, a poet, said the practical sessions gave her greater clarity on using empathy in visual storytelling.

Aisha Habib Maigiwa, a journalist and Head of Corporate Communications Unit at Kano Internal Revenue Service, said the programme enabled her to move beyond her previous understanding of communication concepts and identified teamwork as one of her major takeaways from the Communicating for Impact Challenge.

The Bootcamp concluded with the presentation of certificates to the 25 participants in recognition of their successful participation. Certificates were also presented to the facilitators in appreciation of their contributions to the programme.

In his closing remarks, Isah thanked the partners, facilitators, participants and everyone who contributed to the success of the inaugural Bootcamp.

He called for continued collaboration among organisations, professionals and other stakeholders to strengthen development communication and support initiatives capable of creating meaningful and lasting impact in society.

“Our vision extends beyond training 25 participants. We are building a network of future-ready communicators who will strengthen the quality of development communication across Africa,” he said.

The inaugural Bootcamp marks the beginning of the ISDI Academy’s capacity-building programmes and its effort to build a growing community of ethical, innovative and impact-driven communicators equipped to produce evidence-based stories and contribute to positive social change.

Media Contact:
Mr Samuel Ohayagha
Impact Story Officer
ISDI
contact@isdiafrica.org

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kano State, Alhaji Ibrahim Al-Ameen Little, has declared that the incumbent governor of the state, Abba Kabir Yusuf, and other candidates contesting the 2027 governorship election on the platforms of various political parties are no match for him in terms of political experience, grassroots mobilisation and political pedigree.

Al-Ameen made the declaration while addressing journalists during the unveiling of his running mate for the 2027 governorship election, where he also outlined his plans to revive Kano’s industrial sector, create employment opportunities, tackle drug abuse and youth migration, and reposition the state as a major commercial centre.

The ADC candidate said his political experience and history of participating in Kano politics gave him an advantage over his opponents, insisting that he had been involved in political mobilisation and party-building long before some of the current contenders emerged on the political scene.

According to Al-Ameen, many of the politicians seeking to become governor of Kano in 2027 were mentored or supported by prominent political figures who helped them rise to their present positions, whereas he claimed to have built his political career through years of direct participation and mobilisation.

“Without saying I am immodest, it is only myself and two or three people that I nurtured in the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party who emerged as its governorship candidates in 2003, before the victory was snatched from me and handed over to someone,” Al-Ameen said.

The ADC governorship candidate argued that his political history, experience and understanding of Kano’s political landscape placed him in a different category from the other contenders, adding that he was confident of his ability to mobilise voters across the state.

Al-Ameen also unveiled an ambitious plan to revive industries in Kano, saying his administration, if elected, would move the state away from its current dependence on trading and make it a major production hub.

He said Kano could no longer afford to remain primarily a consumer state, arguing that the state’s large population, commercial history and entrepreneurial culture should be harnessed to develop manufacturing and other productive sectors.

“We will not be a conduit pipe. Kano will regain itself as the commercial nerve centre of Africa,” Al-Ameen said.

He said his administration would focus on creating an environment capable of attracting investment, reviving moribund industries and encouraging local production, adding that the ultimate objective would be to create wealth and sustainable employment for residents.

“We will create more millionaires in the state, not beggars,” he said.

The ADC candidate lamented what he described as Kano’s increasing dependence on products manufactured outside the state, saying the situation had weakened the state’s industrial base.

Al-Ameen said Kano residents currently travel to Lagos and the South-East to purchase products that could be manufactured locally, arguing that the state should develop its own production capacity.

“Currently, we are traders, not producers. We buy products from Lagos and the South-East. Even Indomie, we are not doing it. We are only building stores,” he said.

He promised that an ADC-led administration would prioritise industrialisation and local production, with the aim of turning Kano into a manufacturing and commercial powerhouse.

Al-Ameen also promised to introduce programmes aimed at supporting vulnerable members of society, particularly orphans and young people, if elected governor.

He said his administration would provide support for orphans while also establishing mentorship programmes designed to guide young people and help them develop skills and opportunities for the future.

“We are going to help orphans. We are also going to help in mentoring,” he said.

The candidate also promised to intensify environmental sanitation and fumigation across the state, linking the programme to the fight against malaria and other preventable diseases.

“We will be fumigating. It is a shame malaria is still killing Nigerians,” Al-Ameen said.

The ADC candidate further promised to tackle the factors driving young people out of Kano and Nigeria in search of opportunities abroad.

He said his administration would focus on creating economic opportunities and employment within the state to discourage young people from embarking on dangerous or uncertain journeys in search of a better life.

“We will stop youth migration to other countries,” he said.

Al-Ameen also identified drug abuse as a major social challenge requiring urgent government intervention. He said Kano needed a dedicated institutional response to the problem, particularly because of what he described as the widespread consumption of illicit drugs in the state.

“We will establish a ministry to stop drug abuse, as we are the state that people consume drugs the most all over the world,” he said.

On the longstanding controversy surrounding the Kano Emirate, Al-Ameen said an administration under his leadership would address the issue of the two competing emirates.

“We are going to address the issue of two Emirs,” he said, without providing further details on the specific mechanism his administration would adopt to resolve the dispute.

The emirate controversy has remained one of the major political and traditional issues in Kano, with competing claims and rival royal institutions becoming a significant source of political tension in the state.

Al-Ameen also promised to take a tough position against the alleged misuse of public resources, saying his administration would not tolerate the diversion of public funds.

“We will stop looting public funds in the state treasuries,” he said.

He further pledged to end what he described as the payment of allowances to former governors, saying such benefits would be discontinued immediately upon his assumption of office.

“I will stop allowances of governors when they leave office the day I am sworn in,” Al-Ameen said.

The ADC candidate also used the occasion to reaffirm his claim to the governorship ticket of the party ahead of the 2027 election.

“I am the valid governorship candidate in Kano, and I am here to present my deputy governorship flag bearer,” he said.

Al-Ameen expressed confidence that an ADC victory in 2027 would usher in what he described as a new phase of development and economic transformation for Kano State.

“If I am elected, Kano will get development,” he said.

At the event, Al-Ameen formally unveiled Abdulkadir Shehu Bari as his deputy governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

Bari, while speaking at the event, expressed satisfaction with the decision to select him as Al-Ameen’s running mate and thanked the candidate for the confidence reposed in him.

The newly unveiled deputy candidate pledged to work with Al-Ameen and support the campaign’s programme for the development and transformation of Kano State.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Atiku Abubakar, the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has raised concerns over an unsolicited credit alert to his private bank account, describing the transaction as a severe breach of financial privacy.

In a statement posted on X on Friday, Mr. Abubakar’s media aide, Phrank Shaibu, disclosed that the former Vice President received the funds from an unknown individual, with the payment narration reading “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.” Shaibu emphasized that neither Mr. Abubakar nor his campaign team solicited, authorized, or had any prior knowledge of the sender or the transaction.

The aide underscored the gravity of the incident by pointing out that the account involved is a strictly private one, the details of which are not in the public domain.

“This raises a fundamental question: How did unknown persons obtain the confidential banking details of a private citizen?” Shaibu queried.

While the credited amount could not independently be verified, Shaibu warned that the circumstances carry troubling implications for national security.

“If the private banking information of a former Vice President and a leading presidential candidate can be accessed and deployed for reasons yet unknown, then no Nigerian’s financial privacy is safe,” he stated.

Shaibu further expressed suspicion that the breach may have been facilitated by individuals with privileged access—a development he characterized as a grave abuse of power. Such exposure, he noted, could leave account holders vulnerable to kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, and fraudsters.

Consequently, Mr. Abubakar’s camp has placed the Nigerian public and security agencies on notice, citing this incident as the latest in a litany of suspicious occurrences ahead of next year’s general elections.