Skip to main content

AMI to launch specialize networks for Africa journalists



The African Media Initiative (AMI), the continent’s largest umbrella organization of media leaders and media support organizations, is pleased to announce the launch of the first of a series of Reporters Networks specializing in various sectors of the African economy.

Membership in the networks is open to journalists at newspapers, radio and television stations, online publications and bloggers with a verifiable and significant following. Journalists from traditional media will have to be nominated by their editor and candidates will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Reporters Networks are a part of AMI’s Media Services programme and will consist of a series of regional training workshops, monitoring of each network’s output in terms of the quality, depth and volume of stories, access to sector leaders, a continental online community of practice, and annual awards to reward excellence within the networks.

Recruitment will begin soon for the networks on Climate Change, Conservation and the Environment, and for the Telecommunications and ICT sector. These will soon be followed by Business and Finance, Peace and Security, Agriculture, Energy, and the Maritime Economy. Discussions are ongoing with strategic partners in each of these sectors and will determine when training and Network constitution will begin.

Speaking at the AMI headquarters in Nairobi, AMI CEO Eric Chinje said, “we are developing these networks of specialized reporters in order to improve the quality and quantity of development coverage on the continent. It currently stands at a paltry 10 percent, the lowest of any region in the world. I also believe that improved sector coverage will open up new avenues for advertising revenue for media houses. It is a win-win for all concerned.”

The curriculum for training in the various sectors is being developed with support from industry experts and academia and will improve the journalists’ understanding of how the industries work, increase their awareness of key issues and challenges facing the sectors, and enable them to better inform the public about topics that impact the quality of life and the progress of development on the continent.

End-of-year awards for excellence in reporting – the ZIMEO awards – will be one of many incentives to ensure that media plays a lead role in enriching social, economic and political conversations in Africa.

Credit: AMI

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Shortage of weighing cards hit major hospitals in Accra

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express There is scarcity of Child Health Records Book (weighing cards), in some major public hospitals in the capital, information reaching the Daily Express indicates. Checks by this paper revealed that while some of the hospitals have being encountering the shortage for about a year now, others started experiencing it six months ago. In place of the Child Health Record Book (weighing card), the nursing mothers are given a single card on which information of children are recorded on it. Those hospitals identified are the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Korle Bu Polyclinic, Kaneshie Polyclinic, Adabraka Polyclinic and the Ridge Hospital. At the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the nursing mothers are given yellow cards in place of the weighing cards. The Public Relations Secretariat at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital said such information has not come to their notice and for that matter they cannot comment on it. “We do not have some ...

ABL launches chibuku super in Bolgatanga

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong sarpong007@gmail.com Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) has officially launched the Chibuku Super drink at Bolgatanga in the Upper East region with the aim of reaching a lot of customers. Mr. Thomas Nii Ponku, Supervisor in charge of Chibuku Super at ABL told Daily Express that the management decided to launch the Chibuku Super drink in the Upper East region because they’ve realized it is similar to a traditional drink in the region. “Chibuku is like a well developed pito, a traditional drink made from fermented millet or sorghum in the Northern part of Ghana. So the idea is to provide them with similar drink,” he added. Mr. Nii Ponku disclosed this when members of the Institute of Finance and Economic Journalists (IFEJ) toured the facility of ABL to acquaint themselves with the expansion project at the factory. He mentioned that after a feasibility study, they realized there is a potential market for the product in the northern part of Ghana ...

Barbering Salons, bridging the unemployment gap in Ghana

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong Barbering business in Ghana is money making venture, depending on the location of the shop. Various barbering shops scattered across the country charges according to the location of the shop. The nature and sustainability of every barbering shop depends on the location of the shop. The location will determine how much one can charge a customer for barbering his or her hair. Checks indicate that some barbering shops located at Spintex, East Legon and Osu Oxford street charges between GHc15.00 and GHc20.00 per hair cut. At South La Estate, it will cost a customer to pay GHc4.00 for hair cut, while one will have to pay GHc3.00 to barber his or her hair at a place like Nima, Maamobi and Mallam Gbawe. Royal Vulture Executive Barbering Salon is one of the biggest barbering salons one can locate within Accra. One is its shops is located at Madina, near Taxi rank while one is located at Accra New Town, near the Post Office. Customers at Madina pay GHc7.00 ...