Co-founder of iWatch Africa, Gideon Sarpong selected for the Germany 2026 Visitor’s Programme
Accra, Ghana – In a recognition of his contributions to policy analysis, environmental advocacy and investigative journalism, Ghanaian media practitioner Gideon Sarpong has been selected to participate in the Germany 2026 Visitor’s Programme organised by the German government. The programme, themed “Germany’s Global Engagement: The Climate-Peace-Security Nexus,” is scheduled to take place in Germany.
Sarpong, a co-founder at iWatch Africa, and currently the Africa Regional Coordinator for the Environmental Justice Foundation has a decade of experience in environmental advocacy, and investigative journalism, and has established himself as a prominent figure in Africa’s media and policy landscape.
He is an alumnus of prestigious initiatives including the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), Thomson Reuters Foundation, Commonwealth Youth Program, Free Press Unlimited, and Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative. Additionally, Sarpong founded the Ghana Hub of Sustainable Ocean Alliance and GKS Network.
His accolades include being a 2021 Policy Leader Fellow at the European University Institute’s School of Transnational Governance in Florence, Italy, a 2020 Open Internet for Democracy Leader, and a 2023 Pulitzer Ocean Reporting Network Fellow.
In 2022, he was a Fellow at the Reuters Institute at Oxford University and was also 2024 Resilience Fellow at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC).
The German Visitor’s Programme, organized by the Federal Foreign Office, invites foreign opinion leaders to experience Germany firsthand and engage in dialogues on pressing global issues. Themed trips like this one bring together participants from diverse countries to delve into topics such as climate politics, environmental peacebuilding, and Germany’s role in addressing the climate crisis.
Germany’s emphasis on the climate-peace-security nexus aligns with its broader foreign policy, including initiatives like the Climate for Peace and support for the United Nations’ Climate Security Mechanism. As climate change exacerbates conflicts, inequality, and displacement, the programme aims to foster international collaboration and innovative solutions.
Sarpong’s selection underscores the growing recognition of African voices in global discussions on climate and security.
This opportunity comes at a pivotal time, as global leaders intensify efforts to integrate climate action with peacebuilding. Germany’s National Security Strategy and Climate Foreign Policy Strategy emphasize addressing these interlinkages, and the Visitor’s Programme serves as a platform for sharing best practices and building networks.
