What do you do at Hozint?
Fanny: I am a Risk Intelligence Analyst covering West Africa. I monitor local and national sources to report incidents like shootings, protests and terrorist attacks. I am also editing and supervising the work done by other analysts covering Africa.
What do you like the most about your job?
Fanny: What I like the most about my job is the possibility to monitor news on a daily basis and therefore I am constantly aware of what is happening in Africa, which is the area I am interested in the most. In particular, I am focusing on West African countries, where security and political stability are volatile. Clashes, unrest, shootings or armed attacks are very frequent, and my job is to monitor, verify and report on those incidents. This allows me to stay up-to-date with what is happening, which gives me a better understanding of the issues those countries are facing.
What skills do you need to be good at your job?
Fanny: To be a good analyst you need a broad range of skills, starting with strong analytical ones. My job is not only about reporting an incident but also analysing the impact it could have on our clients, in terms of business continuity, physical or digital security. This means you need a good understanding of the issues faced by the countries you cover, including their domestic and international ones.
Secondly, writing skills are also very important. Our alerts have to be brief but at the same time accurate. Our clients do not have time to read a 2-page report on a given incident, hence we need to be very concise. But, at the same time, they need details to be able to make the best decision possible to mitigate their exposure to risks and protect their interests. Accuracy and conciseness are a must!
Finally, you need solid Open Source Intelligence skills to be able to find reliable information in a timely manner.
What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
Fanny: One of the most challenging aspects of my job is to precisely ascertain the location of the incidents I am reporting. Unfortunately, maps and cartography are really poor for Africa, and sometimes there are entire areas that are totally blank on the map. Providing a precise location for each incident is really important to our clients, and therefore I need to do my best in order to identify the most accurate coordinates possible.
Tell us one thing that you have learnt from your experience at Hozint?
Fanny: One of the things I learned during my time at Hozint is to distinguish reliable information from unreliable ones. Often, I have different sources reporting on the same incident but from a different angle or with different details. Therefore, I need to understand whether the source is reliable or not and if the information has been manipulated in a sense or another. With time and experience, as well as with the help of my supervisors, I have learned how to navigate sources for West African countries and to easily identify reliable ones.
How would you describe working at Hozint?
Fanny: intense and interesting! First of all, it is quite intense because I have to stay focused and on “alert” not to miss out on any crucial information. Secondly, it is really interesting because there are new situations all the time and there is always something new to learn.
What do you like doing in your free time?
Fanny: I like to watch historical and war movies. If I should recommend any recent one, it would probably be 1917 by Sam Mendes. In addition to this, I also like scuba diving, sailing, snowboarding and parachute jumping.
Where can we reach out to you?