Empowerment through sustainable journalism practices in Africa: a walkthrough of EcoNai + and Ushahidi digital platforms

In this article, we address the question of sustainable journalism through the case studies of two leading digital journalism platforms in Africa: Ushahidi and EcoNai + . We draw on the walkthrough method to examine the extent to which these two journalism platforms address social, economic, and environmental crises in Africa and how they co-balance these issues with the crisis facing media and journalism itself. We achieve this by examining how audiences use these platforms. This method guarantees direct engagement with an app's interface to examine its technological mechanisms and embedded cultural references, thereby understanding how it guides users and shapes their experiences. Findings suggest that both platforms demonstrate sustainable journalism practices that align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and emphasize citizen engagement. Challenges include functionality issues and sustainable business model concerns. Nonetheless, they contribute significantly to journalism practices addressing the SDGs. As a result, this study makes three important contributions to academic scholarship and practices. First, it provides meaningful insights into how African digital media platforms uniquely cover sustainability issues. Second, it examines the user experience issues surrounding the applications. Finally, it contributes to the growing body of research on sustainable journalism, especially in the Global South.