PREMIUM TIMES’ reporter selected for UK emerging technology fellowship

Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman, a reporter at PREMIUM TIMES, has been selected for the 2026 UK Media Excellence for Emerging Technologies (UK MEET) Fellowship, a programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of journalists and digital content creators to report science, innovation and emerging technology.

Ms Suleiman was selected alongside other participants from Nigeria and Ghana for the fellowship, to be delivered by Imperial College London through Imperial Global Ghana, with support from the British High Commission.

In an email announcing the selection, the organisers said the programme received more than 500 applications from journalists and content creators across both countries, with only 13 per cent of applicants accepted.

According to the organisers, Ms Suleiman’s application stood out for her reporting record, clear perspective and proposed story pitch.

About the fellowship

The UK MEET Fellowship is designed to strengthen journalists’ ability to report accurately and responsibly on emerging technologies, and communicate developments in science, innovation and technology to the public.

The programme covers areas such as artificial intelligence, climate and environmental technologies, health technology and other scientific developments.

The 2026 fellowship includes residential training in Ghana and Nigeria. The Ghana residential began on 11 October and is scheduled to end on 17 October, while the Nigerian part of the programme will be held in Abuja from 18 to 24 October.

During the training, participants will engage with researchers working on emerging technologies and learn to scrutinise scientific claims, verify information, identify relevant data and communicate complex scientific developments in accessible language.

The fellowship will also provide practical sessions to help participants develop story pitches, refine reporting angles and identify sources and strategies relevant to getting their stories published.

According to the organisers, fellows will further develop and refine their story pitches during the residential training, while those who produce the strongest and most rigorous pitches will be considered for a UK Knowledge Exchange visit to London in late November.

Those selected will engage with researchers at Imperial College London and learn the science behind their proposed stories.

The 2026 programme follows an earlier cohort of the fellowship. In April, the British High Commissions in Abuja and Accra announced that a set of journalists from Nigeria and Ghana had completed a UK-funded science-reporting programme at Imperial College London.

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The programme included laboratory visits, expert workshops and media skills training designed to strengthen evidence-based science reporting.

About Ms Suleiman

Ms Suleiman is a PREMIUM TIMES reporter on the newspaper’s Business Desk. She covers multiple beats and produces accountability and investigative reports.

In 2025, she emerged as the second runner-up in the Isu Elihle Journalism Awards, which recognised journalism focused on children’s rights and issues affecting children.

Her selection for the UK MEET Fellowship will provide an opportunity to strengthen her reporting on emerging technologies and their implications for Nigerian communities.