Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Ford Foundation advance financial journalism in Africa

Currently in its second year of operation, the programme already boasts an impressive 260 graduates who were put through their paces at leading African universities. The initiative brings together the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and Rhodes University in South Africa, the University of Lagos's Department of Mass Communications and the Pan Atlantic University's Lagos Business School in Nigeria and University of Nairobi with Strathmore Business School in Kenya.

The six-month certificate programme is offered to journalists and mid-career professionals in business and civil society to strengthen their skills in capital markets and data analysis and enhance their knowledge in financial and economic reporting. The program is a core component of the BMIA, which aims to accelerate development of a globally competitive media and financial reporting industry as well as promote transparency, accountability and good governance in Africa.

“We are thrilled to be embarking on our third edition of BMIA Executive Training programme. The feedback from our first two cohorts was extremely positive and we are delighted to have played our part in providing delegates with an enriching experience from both a knowledge-sharing and professional perspective,” says Secretariat Director, Linda Sing.

The scholarship-based program runs for 19 days over a six month period and is valued in excess of $22,000 per participant. Successful candidates will receive tuition from world-class faculty and industry experts, as well as free access for six-months to the exclusive Bloomberg Terminal, a software system that provides world class analytics, key industry data and market moving news to more than 317,000 professional market participants around the world.

GIBS Lecturer and Bloomberg Consortium Faculty, Dr Eric Soubeiga says, “The BMIA Executive Training is a tailor-made programme which brings together macro-economics, business, finance and journalism in the African context of today. Delegates learn from and share with one another their respective experience of covering business, economic and financial news stories across the continent. It is particularly powerful to see the delegates take a greater interest in these developments and explain how they affect the ordinary African citizen be they in Lagos, Nairobi or Joburg.”

Sikonathi Mantshatsha, deputy editor at Financial Mail and BMIA Alumni, says, “The BMIA Executive Training programme is great, it helped me meet many upcoming and established journalists while exposing me to some of the best teachings of my career.”

Applications for the third intake open on 18 April, while applications for the fourth intake will open in May 2016. Interested parties who possess a recognised tertiary qualification (degree or diploma) and have experience in journalism or a related field are encouraged to visit www.gibs.co.za/bmia to or email az.oc.sbig@aimb for further information.