Winfrith Hikloch Ogola

With a media background dating back to 1984 as an Information Assistant with the Tanzania Information Ministry, I rose to a senior journalist position with the Uhuru Newspapers after my ordinary diploma course in journalism from the Tanzania School of Journalism in 1986.

Between 1988 and 1990 I expanded my international scope as correspondent for the Harare-based Herald Newspaper and later for the then Panos London where I contributed, among other things, chapters to books such as "Banking the Unbankable: Giving Credit to the Poor" and "Blaming Others; Race and Worldwide AIDS". in 1990 I founded the Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET), one of the leading media NGOs in the country still effective working with communities and partners to raise environmental awareness through projects and information.

In 1993/5 I founded and worked with the Tanzania Institute for Life (TIL) in Mwanza, an NGO that with UNDP funding developed the first fish smoking-kiln using farm waste as a source of energy. The kiln attracted huge public attention as an environmental invention used to smoke fish-waste from fish processing industry and turning it into animal feed, improving hygiene and leaving the city clean.

While working with the Sahara Communication as a senior journalist and as a Programmes Cordinator with TIL during the time I also extended my NGO and research skills working as a Research Assistant in a University of Helsinki project to document the environmental and social impact of refugee influxes from Rwanda in Karagwe and Ngara Districts. In 1996 I relocated to Finland where apart from enhancing my academic status, I gained experience in environment conservation and education working at different occasions as an Information Programmes Officer for the Friends of the Earth (Finland) and Siemenpuu organizations both exposing me to deep environment and development experiences in developing countries.

My outstanding research work while at the University of Helsinki peaked with the title: "Refugees, Resource Scarcity and Conflict: A Future Feature in Africa". Back home in 2010 I became the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for the Tanzania Media Foundation (TMF) that today supports local media personnel and outlets to promote development journalism. Between 2012 and 2017 I lectured in Journalism at the University of Iringa responsible mainly for research.

Thereafter I have become self-employed, providing media, and development consultancy to individuals, NGOs and media organizations. Welcome, let us co-operate.