Yvonne Ndege

Yvonne Ndege is a British television and online news journalist. She is the West Africa Correspondent for the Qatar-based satellite television Network Al Jazeera

Early life

Ndege grew up in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London, England. She is the child of immigrants from Nairobi, Kenya who immigrated to the UK in the 1970s. Ndege attended primary and secondary school in the London Borough of Bexley. She received her undergraduate degree in Social Sciences from the University of London, Goldsmith's College. After graduating with a 2.1 degree in 1998, she started working for the BBC at Television Centre in West London. After two years she returned to academic study and undertook a master's degree in Political Science at the London School of Economics. She graduated in 1999 gaining a 2.1 Master’s degree.

Career

BBC

Ndege began her career with at the BBC as a Researcher between 1998-1999, on Panorama. Between 2000 and 2005, she worked as a producer on Newsnight, including during the show's coverage of the September 11 attacks. Between 2005 and 2007 Ndege worked as a correspondent on BBC Breakfast. During her time as a Breakfast Correspondent, she reported from across the UK and European Union and the US, on a range of domestic and international affairs.

Al Jazeera English

Since 2007 Ndege has worked for the Qatar based satellite television channel Al Jazeera English. She joined as the East Africa Correspondent in Nairobi, Kenya. During her time in the region Yvonne covered many international news stories, including the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2009, she was jointly awarded the UN Correspondent's Association Prize for journalism for her reports from the region. Yvonne also covered the 2007 post-election violence in Kenya, in which more than 1500 people were killed. Yvonne has interviewed the President's of Congo, South Sudan, Rwanda, Nigeria and the Prime Minister of Kenya. In 2010 she launched Al Jazeera English's presence in Nigeria, setting up the channel's office, and appearing as the on-air face of the channel. As a Correspondent she has reported from all 36 states of Nigeria, and from most countries in West Africa. In Nigeria she has covered the ongoing Islamic uprising in northern Nigeria, perpetrated by Boko Haram. Across the region Yvonne has reported news from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Niger Republic, Chad, Guinea Conakry, Equatorial Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2009 she was the co-recipient of the silver prize of the United Nations Foundations Prize, awarded by the United Nations Correspondents Association, for her work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Other

• Interviews conducted: Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan; President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo; Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
• Ndege has moderated or hosted several key events for following organizations:International Monetary Fund; World Food Program; African Union.