Capacity-building training for African journalists commences in Egypt

A TRAINING programme to build the capacity of African journalists has commenced in Cairo, Egypt.

The three-week programme is an annual event which affords African journalists the opportunity to acquire new skills in diverse areas, as well as network and share ideas on how best to tell the African story.

Areas of focus include energy in Africa, freedom of the press in the era of conflicts, social media and fake news, political and economic empowerment of African women, intra-African trade, challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence, effects of cyber security and terrorism.

Participants will also have the opportunity to interact with media organisations and professionals in Egypt.

Seventeen young journalists and executives of media unions from eight African countries — Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Congo Brazzaville, Chad, Nigeria, Morocco, and Egypt are participating in this year’s training.

The 58th training programme is being organised by the Union of African Journalists (UAJ), in partnership with the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) of Egypt.

Advice

The President of the SCMR, Karam Gabr, who officially opened the training at the National Radio and Television House of Egypt, advised journalists to use their media platforms to highlight the challenges confronting the continent.

Journalists, he said, had a duty to help tackle issues such as terrorism, extremism, conflicts and hate speech, which inhibit the growth and development of Africa.

The president also stressed the need for the media to educate people and create awareness of African values which he said were being eroded due to the advent of social media, fake news and disinformation.

Mr Gabr said the training sought to enhance the skills of participants to enable them to contribute more positively to the development of their respective countries and the African continent in general.

Importance

In a speech read on his behalf, the President of the UAJ, Mahfouz Al-Ansari, also said the training was crucial in fostering Pan African cooperation on media and development.

The president said more than 2,000 journalists had been trained since the inception of the programme, a situation he said had positively impacted on the media landscape of the continent.

“One of the most important goals of our training courses is to create the link between journalists from other African countries with their colleagues in Egypt to enhance the understanding of issues and challenges affecting our continent,” Mr Al-Ansari said.

Commendation

The President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Dr Christopher Isiguzo, lauded the UAJ and the SCMR for their commitment in sustaining the training programme over the years.

He urged the participants to use lessons they would learn from the training to further enhance their skills to improve journalism on the continent.

“Let us use this occasion not only to enhance our professional skills, but also forge lasting connections that transcend borders and strengthen the fabric of African journalism,” he added.

Writer’s email: emma.hawkson@graphic.com.gh