Finding Solutions Stories in Times of Conflict and Crisis

“Complicating the Narrative: Finding Solutions Stories in Times of Conflict and Crisis” at the 2025 SoJo Africa Summit in Abuja

By Yecenu Sasetu

The panel on “Complicating the Narrative: Finding Solutions Stories in Times of Conflict and Crisis” at the Solutions Journalism Africa Summit in Abuja reminded me why this work matters. In moments when communities face violence, displacement, trauma, and uncertainty, it is easy for journalism to focus only on the suffering. But this panel made it clear that even in chaos, people still try to solve problems, protect one another, and rebuild what conflict has taken. The conversation challenged us to look again, look deeper, and report with the intention of restoring humanity to the people whose stories we tell.

This panel session was moderated by Chibuike Alagboso, Director, Media Programmes at Nigeria Healthwatch. The session brought together four journalists whose work in conflict zones has reshaped the way they see their craft.

Dina Aboughazala, Founder and CEO of Egab, opened with reflections from Sudan and Gaza, two regions where conflict has persisted for years. She spoke about the emotional and professional difficulty of working in places where pain is constant, yet she reminded us that solutions journalism is not only possible in those conditions, it is necessary. Dina shared Egab’s simple but powerful approach in conflict zones: ask people how they are surviving, ask who is filling the gaps, and ask how those local responses are working. In her experience, the most meaningful stories often come from underrepresented voices, people imagining ways to cope, create, and support others long before governments or large institutions appear.

She emphasized that Egab operates as a business because sustainability matters. Journalism cannot rely on goodwill alone; it needs structures that allow reporters to keep working. More media outlets are reaching out to Egab’s network now, not because crises are new, but because they are becoming more widespread. In response, Egab continues to encourage journalists to look inside their communities for solutions. Those local stories shape the global narrative, and when done well, they get picked up both locally and internationally. For Dina, impact is not a one-time outcome; it builds over time, story by story.

Nathaniel Bivan, a freelance journalist and editor, grounded the conversation in home realities. Speaking about Plateau State, he explained that conflict there takes two major forms: religious tension and terrorism. Both destroy trust and create a cycle where communities blame one another whenever violence occurs. But in the middle of this, he found a different kind of story. Along a river where young people once gathered to abuse substances and fuel conflict, Nathaniel discovered an NGO offering rehabilitation and peacebuilding activities. They train young people, involve community elders, and use football and other activities to rebuild relationships between previously hostile groups.

He went into the community to verify whether the initiative was truly working, and what he found surprised him. The model had been replicated in several locations. Young people were not only recovering; some had become professional footballers, others became community organisers for peace activities. Lives had changed because someone decided conflict did not have to define them. For Nathaniel, this was the moment he understood the depth of solutions journalism because it is reporting the work people are doing to repair what conflict breaks.

Dayo Aiyetan, Executive Director of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), spoke about the misconceptions around investigative journalism. Many people assume it is only about exposing corruption, but ICIR has spent years proving that investigating solutions is just as important. He shared stories about journalists who uncovered how TETFUND resources helped improve laboratories in northern schools. In another case, reporter Fortunate Ozor travelled to several Primary Health Centres to examine maternal health interventions, even when doing so placed her in difficult situations as an employee of a government-owned media house. For Dayo, solutions journalism means digging into the structures that make progress possible, not just shining a light on what has gone wrong.

Patrick Gathara, Senior Editor for Inclusive Storytelling at The New Humanitarian, pushed the conversation into the heart of ethics. Standing in a refugee camp years ago, he looked out and saw someone selling tomatoes, a moment that reminded him that even in war, people live. They marry, raise families, laugh, argue, and survive. He stressed that journalism often strips conflict survivors of their humanity. We report the explosions but ignore the neighbour who shares the little food she has. We film the displacement but ignore the diaspora communities sending remittances to keep their relatives alive.

Patrick asked a question that stayed with me: “What do we owe the people whose stories we tell?” Reporting conflict is not the same as reporting a football match. There are moral obligations we must carry, to reflect people’s dignity, to avoid flattening their identities, and to care whether suffering ends. For him, the goal is simple: change how the world perceives crises so that people are seen, understood, and supported.

During the Q&A session, the discussion returned to accountability. Caroline Karobia, Africa Initiative Manager, Solutions Journalism Network, reminded the room that reporting solutions is a powerful way of holding power to account. When journalists show that something is working somewhere, they remove the excuse that nothing can be done. The challenge of funding came up, and the answer was clear: opportunities exist. Journalists need to research, pitch, and seek support from organisations committed to impactful storytelling.

For me, this panel reaffirmed what we believe at Shades of Us. In conflict and crisis, stories can either deepen despair or reveal the resilience people carry within them. Solutions journalism helps us choose the latter. It helps us show that even in the hardest moments, people are not powerless; they are trying, creating, healing, and rebuilding. And our job is to tell those stories with honesty, care, and respect.