As part of its efforts to improve the quality of conversations around climate change and environmental issues across West Africa, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), has engaged 20 mainstream journalists in a 2-day capacity building workshop on climate change and environmental reporting
The workshop is aimed at enhancing the skills and knowledge of media practitioners in effectively reporting on environmental and climate change issues and holding the government accountable for its sustainable and green climate commitments.
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Speaking about the workshop, the project manager, Felicia Dairo, said the workshop is part of CJID’s effort to ensure the media becomes adequately informed about climate change-related issues across the region.
She said: “There is a general dearth of knowledge on climate change-related issues across the region, and most times, environmental reporting is misconstrued for climate change reporting. Despite Africa being the most vulnerable to climate change, studies show that the media in Africa pay little attention to climate change reporting
“The series of capacity building for journalists by CJID is a conscious effort in ensuring we bridge the knowledge and capacity deficit of climate change reporting across West Africa and a way of changing the narrative of low climate change reportage”.
Also, in his comments, Nicholas Adeniyi, the project coordinator, said effective policies and sustained socio-political commitments are necessary to mitigate the impacts of climate change towards a sustainable future. He noted that the media is crucial in communicating these needs and galvanising actions.
Mr Adeniyi disclosed that the workshop will feature a combination of training, experience sharing and hands-on practical sessions to ensure participants are equipped with the best practices in climate change journalism.
According to a statement signed by the Programmes Director of the CJID, Akintunde Babatunde, stated that after the training, 10 journalists would be supported with story grants to pursue climate change deep dives across the country.
