The third 'Training the Trainer' seminar organised by the New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) took place in Tanzania at the end of November.
The journalists from Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were equipped with skills and techniques to be used to train their colleagues back home.
Addressing the journalists in Dar es Salaam, NEPAD General Manager Communications and Outreach, Thaninga Shope-Linney, described the third seminar as a milestone of which NEPAD was very proud.
"We will continue with the programme next year until all the countries in Africa are covered."
She urged the journalists to increase their coverage of developmental issues of the African continent, saying it was the task of African journalists to inform themselves on these issues, in order to participate more effectively in Africa's development dialogue.
"Communicating our successes and challenges to the world is key because this is one of the ways in which we can track our progress.
"We should not leave it to the foreign media to communicate our own development. It is our responsibility, a responsibility we should take on with commitment and determination," she said.
The programme, held in collaboration with the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) has trained over 30 trainers so far from countries such as Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe in just 18 months.
NEPAD held the first training seminar in Pretoria between July and August in 2006.
The second seminar was held later in the year for French countries. It was held in Brazzaville, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The next series of workshops will be held in the coming year, which will include journalists from North Africa and West Africa.
Article published courtesy of BuaNews
