NLNG’s latest edition of the #NLNGChangeYourStory workshop underscores a growing recognition within corporate Nigeria that the sustainability of the media ecosystem is inseparable from national development. By convening 32 journalists in Abuja for a three-day intensive training focused on artificial intelligence, digital communication and newsroom innovation, the gas company is reinforcing a long-term strategy that goes beyond corporate visibility to institutional capacity building.
The 2026 workshop reflects the pressures confronting modern newsrooms: shrinking attention spans, the demand for real-time reporting, rising misinformation, and the rapid integration of AI-driven tools into editorial workflows. Rather than approaching these challenges as abstract trends, the training was designed to be practical, immersing participants in hands-on sessions on digital storytelling, data visualisation, audience engagement and online fact-checking.
For NLNG, this approach aligns with a broader Corporate Social Responsibility philosophy that positions human capital development as a strategic investment. Speaking at the workshop, the company’s General Manager for External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, framed capacity development as central to NLNG’s engagement with stakeholders. Her remarks suggested that the company views journalism not merely as a reporting profession, but as a societal institution that shapes public understanding and influences national discourse.
This framing is significant at a time when public trust in media is under strain. By emphasising professionalism, verification and responsible use of technology, NLNG appears to be responding to concerns that speed and digital virality can undermine accuracy. Horsfall’s call for journalists to apply new skills in ways that “amplify impact” points to an expectation that better-equipped journalists will produce stories that are not only timely, but also credible and socially relevant.
The company’s commitment is further reinforced by its sustained interventions in the media sector, including the NLNG Prize for Energy Reporting at the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME). Taken together, these initiatives signal an attempt to influence the quality of sector-specific reporting, particularly in energy and sustainability, where public understanding is often shaped by technical complexity and competing narratives.
From an operational standpoint, the workshop also highlights a shift in how corporate-media engagement is evolving. In her opening remarks, Manager of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, stressed that the training was intentionally structured around the realities of a digital newsroom—balancing speed with verification, and reach with audience trust. This suggests a recognition that effective journalism today requires not just traditional reporting skills, but digital fluency and ethical judgement in equal measure.
Facilitated by digital communication expert Dan Mason and the Journalism Clinic led by veteran journalist Taiwo Obe, the programme blended global best practices with local newsroom realities. The emphasis on managing digital presence and engaging audiences reflects an understanding that journalists are increasingly individual brands as well as institutional voices.
With over 180 journalists empowered across multiple editions, #NLNGChangeYourStory is gradually building a network of media professionals equipped to navigate Nigeria’s fast-changing information landscape. As digital disruption continues to redefine journalism, NLNG’s sustained investment suggests a strategic bet: that strengthening media capacity today can help foster a more informed public, a more resilient press, and, ultimately, a more stable environment for long-term national and corporate growth.
