Google Selects Six Nigerian Creators for Emerging News Voices Growth Lab

Six Nigerian independent news creators have been chosen to participate in the sub-Saharan Africa cohort of Google's Emerging News Voices Growth Lab. The multi-month virtual program, running until late September 2026, includes Onlinebanker, Adetunji Films, More Branches T, Wearegst, Iswellthecapitalist, and The Republic.

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Independent news creators and digital-native newsrooms are shaping how Africans, and Nigerians in particular, find and understand the news. The Growth Lab gives these creators what growing newsrooms need most: practical AI skills, a clear video and audience strategy, direct relationships with their readers and a path to sustainable revenue.

Creator-led digital journalism is increasingly shaping how younger Nigerians consume news. While social-first channels and digital-native platforms drive discovery, these newsrooms often lack the resources and expertise available to established publishers. The GNI Growth Lab aims to bridge this gap.

Marianne Erasmus, News Partnerships Lead for Middle East and Africa at Google, highlighted the program's goal to provide practical AI skills, video and audience strategy, direct reader relationships, and sustainable revenue paths. "When emerging voices build capability and financial independence, the whole news ecosystem becomes more resilient, diverse and sustainable," she stated.

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Google’s Emerging News Voices Growth Lab is giving us practical ways to combine audience insight, product thinking and the responsible use of AI as we build a more sustainable future for The Republic’s journalism.

Participants like Wale Lawal, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Republic, see the lab as a way to combine audience insight, product thinking, and responsible AI use for journalism's future. Nasir Achile Ahmed, Editor-in-chief and Co-founder of MoreBranches, noted the program's value in providing practical resources, new tools, and expert connections, fostering a supportive environment for storytelling.

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The programme has been valuable to our newsroom, providing information that validates observations we’d made previously, as well as access to tools and the knowledge to use them effectively. Beyond that, engaging with experts and fellow journalists has created a supportive environment that is helping us strengthen our storytelling.