Who We Are
Africa Talks Network is a women-led African storytelling organization making African stories more accessible, grounded, and deeply human. We bring together broadcast journalists, investigative journalists, creators, producers, and storytellers to produce people-centered journalism rooted in lived experience.
We tell African stories across audio, video, and narrative journalism, with a focus on underreported issues, community realities, and the human experiences behind the headlines. Our work is driven by the belief that African stories deserve depth, context, nuance, and care.
Our mission is to amplify African voices, center lived experiences, and create meaningful dialogue with the communities we serve. Through journalism, storytelling, and collaboration, we help people better understand the realities shaping the continent and imagine new possibilities for the future.
Africa Talks Network is building a trusted African storytelling network where human-centered journalism connects people more deeply to their societies, their communities, and the stories that matter.
Fola Folayan
Fola Folayan is a communications strategist, media entrepreneur, and cross border journalism advocate who designs audience centered storytelling systems that help newsrooms grow reach, trust, and sustainability.
She works at the intersection of journalism, partnerships, and communications. Leading training, and engagement strategies that connect investigative reporting to real world communities.
She has led global communications and partnership initiatives for investigative and public interest journalism projects, driving fundraising campaigns, international visibility, and multi platform audience growth. Her work spans podcast production, newsletters, community building, live events, and digital content strategy, alongside designing professional learning programs and convening journalists across Africa and beyond.
A broadcast journalist by training, Fola spent nearly a decade on air producing and hosting live sociopolitical talk shows that reached more than half a million listeners monthly, sharpening her instinct for clarity, public dialogue, and storytelling that moves people. She later founded a training and mentorship platform that has supported over 400 early career broadcasters and journalists with curriculum, internships, and practical newsroom skills, helping build the next generation of African media professionals.
Nelly Kalu
Nelly Kalu is a news product leader, journalist, and media innovator passionate about building tools and stories that strengthen public trust in journalism.
Her work sits at the intersection of technology, storytelling, and audience engagement, where she designs media products, manages editorial projects, and experiments with new formats that help newsrooms serve communities more effectively.
Trained by the Radio Netherlands Training Centre and Dubawa, Nelly brings deep expertise in OSINT methodologies, solutions journalism, and media innovation, along with a strong focus on campaigns that amplify underrepresented voices.
She is also a certified trainer in Solutions Journalism and Environmental Journalism, and has facilitated workshops and mentorship programs for journalists and broadcasters across the continent.
Nelly is a 2022 World Press Institute Fellow and has completed fellowships and certifications with leading global journalism and product programs, including the International Center for Journalists, CUNY’s Product Immersion Program, and News Product Management training. Through her work, she continues to champion journalism that informs, engages, and drives real world change.
