Ford Foundation Work ReImagined.

Dr. Helminah Randriamananoro a Malagasy physician, virtual assistant, and digital content creator. Her project, Travail, mais à quel prix? /Work, but at what cost? highlights the realities of independent work. “This grant represents far more than just financial support; it is a concrete transformational lever for my work. It will allow me to acquire essential professional equipment to produce higher-quality content, and it validates my commitment and my journey as an African woman who transformed challenges into opportunities through remote work.”

Kaoutar Ouizgane is a climate journalist and film researcher passionate about promoting cultural and artistic heritage. Her documentary follows women working in traditional crafts in Ouarzazate as they use the digital economy to reshape. This grant is a valuable opportunity to fund filming, production and post-production, and to strengthen the impact of my work on the intended audience.”

Zanta Nkumane is a writer, editor and journalist working on Rewired, a digital storytelling series that examines the intersection of AI, labour, and policy, highlighting how governments, regulators, and industry actors influence technology adoption and workers’ experiences. “This grant provides the means to connect directly with people whose experiences are rarely documented like workers navigating gig platforms, creatives experimenting with AI tools, and policymakers negotiating the frameworks that shape their livelihoods.”

Kofoworola Odozi is a Nigerian writer, editor, and media professional whose work sits at the intersection of storytelling, design, and data. Her project, The Struggle to Scale – Work Without Walls, combines a long-form investigative feature and podcast series to highlight the disconnect between the promise of digital work and its harsh realities for Africa’s youth. “The grant’s value lies not only in enabling high-quality research, storytelling, and production, but also in amplifying voices that are often overlooked in mainstream narratives about Africa’s workforce.”

Nahadjenin Seleho is a content creator and journalist. She’s the founder of the Le Journal de Nahadjenin blog. Her project, Travelers sans Frontières/Workers Without Borders documents the journeys of young Africans engaged in remote work—including freelancers, remote employees, and digital platform workers. “This grant is an opportunity for me to achieve my ambition of changing the perception of Africa by showcasing a youth that is connected, creative, and resolutely future-oriented. It provides the resources needed to produce and distribute high-quality content capable of reaching a wide audience across Africa and the diaspora.”

Josiane Kouagheu is a journalist, writer, painter, poet, photographer, and founder of Agripreneurs d’Afrique, a media platform dedicated to agriculture, the environment, science, and rural life. She’s producing a series of articles and short videos about young people working in rural areas. “This grant will allow me to work on a theme that forms a core pillar of Agripreneurs d’Afrique: telling, without filters, the stories of young farmers living in rural areas who, despite significant challenges, continue to fight, persevere, and build their futures.”

DEFINING is a digital storytelling platform on a mission to unlock the potential of Africa’s youth through bold, authentic, and creative narratives.Led by Dennis Ngango, Bongani Baloyi, and Nomathamsanqa Plaatjie, they’re producing a mobile-first docu-series that shines a light on young township and rural entrepreneurs who are using digital tools to reimagine what’s possible for their communities. “This grant is not just funding content: it is investing in a movement that redefines what African youth, communities, and entrepreneurs are capable of and how they are seen on the global stage.”

But First, Coffee podcast, hosted by Hawi Bussa and Tigist Amare, is Ethiopia’s first English-language podcast.

The podcast will present a two-part series exploring the evolving freelance landscape in Ethiopia. “This grant is a catalyst for deeper storytelling, collaboration, and impact. By producing content in English, we’re bridging local and global perspectives — making Ethiopian stories more accessible to the world.”

Paula Cardoso is a TV host, media personality and founder of Afrolink. Her feature article, The Invisible Hands of Immigrants in Portugal, will highlight the transformative contributions of Africans living will highlights Portugal, and within the wider diaspora. “I showcase Africans not as passive subjects of migration or struggle but as active contributors to Portugal’s economic, social, and political life by documenting the experiences of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and politicians of African descent.”

Elhadji Dicko is also the founder of Hando Media. His series, Sira: Les chemins du travail/Sira: The Paths of Work, follows the daily lives of several gig workers in Bamako to highlight the creativity, resilience, and adaptability of young Africans who are reinventing their relationship to work. “This is a unique opportunity to strengthen the quality and reach of our work. It also brings added legitimacy by associating our initiative with a recognized institution like ANF.”

Milliam Murigi is a science journalist working a feature story that will explore how online work platforms, digital entrepreneurship, and remote job opportunities are allowing women who once quit their jobs due to caregiving responsibilities to return to work on their own terms. “This grant gives me the resources and flexibility to go beyond surface-level reporting and produce a well-researched, deeply human story. Often, financial constraints limit how far I can travel, how many voices I can include, or the kind of supporting elements that bring a story to life.”

Gracious Nyathi is a communications specialist. She’s working on Navigating the Future of Work: Voices from Africa’s Gig Economy; a podcast series that explores the evolving landscape of gig work across Africa. “This grant represents a pivotal opportunity to deepen my impact as a storyteller and advocate for social justice in Africa. The funding will support high-quality production, community engagement, and strategic dissemination; allowing me to reach wider audiences and influence public discourse, policy, and perceptions about Africa’s labor landscape.”

Adesewa Olofinko is a multimedia journalist and storyteller uncovering underreported narratives that shape Africa. She’s producing Her Hustle, Her Terms, an investigative feature series that explores how African women in Nigeria and Ghana navigate the gig economy and digital outsourcing platforms. “This is an investment in the continuity and expansion of my work as a storyteller. For instance, working on the story of young African women in the gig economy, I am able to travel, both within Nigeria and Ghana, to engage directly with communities and document the experiences of these women.”

Meriyem Kokaina is a blogger and literary host specializing in African literature. As the founder of the blog Au Pays du Baobab, she has built the largest online Francophone community dedicated to African literature. Her podcast series, Psychologie du personnage, recounts professional life in Africa using novels, essays, and testimonies. “This grant represents a decisive lever for professionalizing and scaling this project by providing the means to collaborate with professionals and ensure a production quality that meets international standards. In short, it will allow me to transition from a passionate, artisanal project to one that is structured, sustainable, and carries a pan-African impact.”

Wongel Zelalem Haile is a Pan-African content creator. Her YouTube series tells powerful, solution-driven stories of young Africans who are using digital innovation to tackle local challenges and shape a brighter future. “This grant will be transformative for my work as a content creator dedicated to reshaping narratives about Africa. It will provide the resources needed to produce high-quality storytelling and amplify voices that are often overlooked: women in tech, rural innovators, cultural creatives and changemakers, positioning them as leaders in Africa’s digital future.”

Rim Ben Khlifa is a Tunisian environmental journalist, podcaster, media professional, and founder of Green African Idea Lab. Travailleuses sans frontières/ Women Without Borders highlights the journeys of African migrant women engaged in new forms of work. “The project will expose situations of exploitation and abuse, highlight initiatives and successes, and—through visual and narrative content tailored for social media—promote a more nuanced, positive image, strengthen inclusion, and foster intercultural solidarity and understanding.”

Xolani Kondile is a South African journalist, media project manager, and creative entrepreneur.

He’s working on Young South Africans Plugged In. The project youth voices and shifts narratives around the future of work in South Africa through a multilingual audio storytelling series. “The grant is a validation of our belief that African youth voices must be at the centre of conversations about the future of work…we can document stories of resilience, digital adaptation, and innovation emerging in townships, rural areas, and urban peripheries.”

Deborah Johnson is an award winning writer and performance artist, who is passionate about gender equality and telling African stories. Through our Looking Glass uncovers the intricacies of freelancing and remote work by using a combination of interview style videos and spoken word poetry. “This grant feels like reassurance to continue on this path; it encourages my spirit to create more, because it is necessary for this world. Encourages me to hold onto the path and hold on to the truth; to be an artist and an advocate.”

Jacktone Lawi is a business writer and publisher with the Star Newspaper. He has covered some of the biggest

stories from around Kenya and East Africa. His feature story, From Nairobi to New York: Stark Pay Divide in the Gig Economy, investigates the growing disparity in pay for platform workers in Kenya and across Africa compared to their counterparts in developed economies such as the United States. “The grant will also enable me to bridge evidence gaps by combining first-hand testimonies with comparative data analysis to contextualize Africa’s position in the global gig economy. It will also enable me to Influence policy discussions by equipping unions, government, and the public with credible, evidence-based reporting.”

Salma Samantar is a content creator working on The Youngest Connected Continent: Africa’s Pathway in the Global Digital Economy; a series of short videos that explore the digital economy. “This grant is the opportunity to spark meaningful dialogue about Africa’s role in the global digital economy. By producing high-quality, engaging content for African youth and the diaspora, I aim to shift perceptions, empower young people to participate in shaping Africa’s future, and encourage policymakers to take youth perspectives seriously in diplomatic and economic decisions.”

Kenneth Yannick Houssou is a comedian, content creator, and storyteller widely recognized as a pioneer of stand-up comedy in Benin. He’s producing short-form videos that explore the realities and challenges of the future of work in Africa through themes like freelancing, digital precariousness, the gig economy, and digital platforms.

This grant represents both strategic and symbolic support for my journey as a content creator and socially engaged comedian. It enables me to produce and launch an ambitious project that blends humor, storytelling, and awareness regarding the realities of work in Africa.”

Lassané Oueddraogo is a journalist and filmmaker. His project tells the story of a young entrepreneur who has transformed the public transport and ride-hailing (VTC) sector in Ouagadougou. “This is far more than just financial support; it is a strategic lever to enhance the reach, quality, and impact of my journalistic work. It enables me to give life to an authentic and transformative African narrative, produce rigorous and professional content, and strengthen my capacity as a dedicated journalist: It allows me to pursue my commitment to fair, credible, and empowering storytelling for Africa—specifically regarding issues of mobility, security, and social innovation.”

Pheladi Sethusa is a journalism lecturer, researcher and multimedia storyteller. She’s producing a 12-episode podcast series exploring the daily and lived realities of those keeping the South African workforce afloat. It will lay plain the true intricacies of working life, particularly in roles often considered easy, menial or unskilled. “This project will allow me to explore an issue close to my heart and at the same time give me the opportunity to explore a form of podcasting I love (narrative/documentary).”