It has been requested of the nine climate change journalism fellows that they represent climate reporting in West Africa.
This was announced at the Media Foundation for West Africa’s Climate Change Journalism Fellowship’s opening ceremony for the first cohort.
Five months of climate change reporting training were given to journalists from Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, the Republic of Benin, Guinea, and Togo.
The programme, titled, ‘Confronting the Climate Change Crises in West Africa through Critical Journalism’ was held on Friday, in Accra, Ghana.
MFWA’s Director of Advocacy and Research, Kojo Impraim, stated that there was a need to improve climate change reporting and ensure it was on the “front burner” of news reportage.
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In a message to the fellows, the representative of DW Akademie, Ama Kudjo, said, “Dear Fellows, you have the opportunity to lead the charge for the change in climate and its issues in West Africa. Become the voice of climate reporting because you have been equipped to tell the story.”
The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission and the event’s chair, Mr. John Allotey, expressed his gratitude for the presence of young journalists in West Africa who are trained to cover and report on climate change concerns.
David Quaye, a representative of the Ghana Metrological Agency, said during a panel discussion that journalists should not only cover weather reports and crises but also convey them in words and language that their audience can easily understand.
The ceremony was graced by guests from the Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso embassies as well as some civil society organizations.
Story adapted from Punch
