Media Rights Agenda

What Media Rights Agenda does

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) is a Nigerian non-profit civil society organization founded in 1993 and incorporated in 1997, headquartered in Lagos. It operates across four core pillars: Research and Publication, Litigation and Legal Services, Advocacy and Campaigns, and Training and Capacity Building. Its mission centers on promoting and defending freedom of expression, media freedom, access to information, and digital rights in Nigeria and across Africa. Beneficiaries include journalists, media professionals, civil society actors, and the general public, who access MRA's services without charge.

MRA's operational platforms include the Attacks Database — a curated record tracking violence, harassment, and arrests of journalists used as evidence for advocacy and litigation — and a nationwide network of freedom-of-information lawyers supporting FOI requests. The organization holds Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, has championed Nigeria's Freedom of Information Act 2011, and pursues litigation such as the MRA vs. National Broadcasting Commission case challenging N5 million fines on broadcast platforms. MRA's business model is donor-funded: it does not generate revenue from fees or product sales, instead operating on grants from bilateral, multilateral, and philanthropic funders, including partnerships with DW Akademie and the German Embassy in Belgium. No financial statements, donor mix, or grant amounts are publicly disclosed, making the organization's economic scale non-transparent to external observers.

Name

Media Rights Agenda

Legal name

Media Rights Agenda

Website

https://mediarightsagenda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Media Rights Agenda is a Lagos-based Nigerian non-profit (founded 1993) that promotes freedom of expression, media freedom, access to information, and digital rights through litigation, advocacy, research, and training for journalists, civil society, and citizens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ikeja

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding / Grants: As a non-profit organization, Media Rights Agenda relies on donor funding and grants from international organizations, foundations, and development partners to fund its programs on promoting freedom of expression, media freedom, access to information, and digital rights.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Media Rights Agenda is an independent, non-profit civil society organization that delivers four programmatic service lines—Research and Publication, Litigation/Legal Services, Advocacy/Campaigns, and Training/Capacity Building—to promote and protect freedom of expression, media freedom, access to information, and digital rights in Nigeria. The organization provides free legal assistance to journalists facing arrest, detention or harassment, operates a nationwide FOI legal services network, produces publications and a monthly Media Rights Monitor newsletter, maintains an attacks database on press freedom violations, and engages in continental-level litigation before the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. It does not sell commercial products or software; its offerings are service-driven and grant-funded.

Product overview

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) is an independent, non-profit civil society organization focused on promoting and protecting freedom of expression, media freedom, access to information, and digital rights in Nigeria. Rather than a technology product company, MRA operates through programmatic work including Research and Publication, Litigation/Legal Services, Advocacy/Campaigns, and Training/Capacity Building programs. The organization does not offer commercial technology products or software-as-a-service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Litigation / Legal Assistance Services Provides free legal assistance, representation, and protection to journalists and media workers who are arrested, detained, criminally charged, assaulted, harassed, or intimidated in the course of their professional duties; also encompasses litigation of media-freedom and FOI cases.
• Freedom of Information (FOI) Legal Services Provides FOI-related legal advisory and representation services through a nationwide network of FOI lawyers to civil society organizations and citizens seeking access to information held by governments and public institutions.
• Advocacy and Campaigns Programme Runs advocacy campaigns on reform of media laws, freedom of expression, FOI implementation, digital rights, and journalist protection across Nigeria and at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.
• Training and Capacity Building Programme Organises training workshops, seminars, and conferences for journalists, media practitioners, civil society organizations, and the general public on media freedom, FOI, professional ethics, conflict-sensitive reporting, and digital rights.
• Research and Publication Conducts research and publishes reports, policy briefs, and annual reviews on freedom of expression, media freedom, access to information, and digital rights in Nigeria, disseminated through the MRA website and email newsletter.
• Media Rights Monitor (Monthly Newsletter) Monthly newsletter that monitors and reports on attacks on journalists and media workers across Nigeria, distributed through the MRA website and via email subscription.
• Attacks Database Searchable online database of attacks on freedom of expression and media workers in Nigeria, accessible at attacks.mediarightsagenda.org and linked from MRA's primary website.
• FOI App Digital application accessible via mediarightsagenda.org/foi-app/ that assists citizens and civil society organizations with filing Freedom of Information requests against Nigerian government and public institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully challenged NBC N5 million fines imposed on broadcast platforms for airing documentaries on banditry

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DW AkademieminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2026DW Akademie, a center for international media development operated by German Government-funded Deutsche Welle, co-convened a panel discussion with German Embassy in Belgium on solutions for independent journalism in AI age.
• German Embassy in BelgiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2026The Embassy of Germany in Belgium, under auspices of Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), co-convened a high-level panel discussion with DW Akademie on solutions for independent journalism in AI era.
• Global Rights NigeriaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 August 2026MRA shared information about Global Rights Nigeria's Two-Day Action Learning Training for Mass Media Practitioners on Conflict-Sensitive Reporting scheduled for August 2026 in Abuja.
• International Media Support (IMS)coreOthersEdetaen Ojo serves as member of Board of Directors of International Media Support, an international media development organization based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdetaen Ojo serves as Chair of African Freedom of Expression Exchange, a network of freedom of expression organizations in Africa.
• International Press Centre (IPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdetaen Ojo serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Press Centre in Lagos.
• Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdetaen Ojo has previously served as member and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Media Foundation for West Africa in Accra, Ghana.
• African Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdetaen Ojo was founding Chairperson of the African Freedom of Information Centre, based in Kampala, Uganda, and currently serves as member of its Governing Council.
• International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdetaen Ojo has served as Convenor (Chair) and Council member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a global network of freedom of expression organizations.
• Open Government Partnership (OGP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdetaen Ojo is former Co-Chair and currently member of the National Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership in Nigeria.
• Freedom of Information Coalition (FOIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAyode Longe serves as Secretary of the Board of Governors of the Freedom of Information Coalition in Nigeria.
• African Platform on Access to Information (APAI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdetaen Ojo is a member of the Working Group of the African Platform on Access to Information.
• UNESCOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2013, Edetaen Ojo served as member of the International Advisory Committee for UNESCO's project on 'The Safety of Online Media Actors Doing Journalism'. MRA is involved in Africa-wide campaign for adoption of access to information laws and internet rights.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MRA_Nigeria
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mranigeria
• Facebookweb.facebook.com/mediarightsagenda
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mramediarightsagenda
• Instagraminstagram.com/mediarightsagenda

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Media Rights Agenda