Google to train Ugandan journalists

Divon Lan, Google Africa's product manager will lead the training which is expected to draw up to 10 journalists from different media houses including Monitor Publications and New Vision Printing and Publication among others. The inaugural training will be conducted on 22 March 2010 in Kampala.

Participant selection after Google survey

Rachel Payne, the Google Uganda country manager said in interview that the participants were selected after responding to a Google survey about which of the company's products and services they wished to learn, to improve their journalism.

“It's the first time this workshop has been offered in Africa, and we'll be holding similar workshops in Kenya and Ghana during the same week,” Payne said on Wednesday, 17 March, in an interview.

Payne added that Google will decide whether to offer the workshop again, on an annual basis, after hearing feedback from the first participants and if they think it will be valuable.

The company's media initiative comes exactly a year after the informediary company set up shop in Kampala.