Accra, Feb.7, GNA – The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Knutsford University College to train journalists for free.
The semester programme will take journalists through critical thinking, media law and ethics, development communication, and leadership skills among others.
Professor Anthony Ahiawodzi, President of the Knutsford University College, who signed the MoU on behalf of the University, said the MoU was only to formalise the partnership between the two Organisations to sharpen the skills of journalists and support them to highly deliver as expected of them.
Having recognised the important roles journalists played in developing a nation, he said the University had adopted as part of its corporate social responsibility, to support practitioners with advanced programmes in communication and governance.
“…In the discharge of their duties, the University pledges to bring competent people on board to give them more enhancement,” he said.
Mr Affail Monney, the President, GJA, who commended the University for cooperating to ‘cement’ the fruitful relationship that existed between the two parties, expressed the deep concern of the GJA over the monstrous trend of democratic backsliding in West Africa and its attendant curtailment of media freedom.
“We live in a globalised world where events or happenings in Burkina Faso, Mali and elsewhere can also impact negatively on the media in Ghana. The media everywhere are the oxygen of democracy, so such undemocratic means for others to assume power are not only an affront to democracy but a slap or a dent on media freedom,” he said.
Mr Monney likened the media to a flood, saying they could come with both negative and positive consequences and sow seeds of instability by reckless use of the power they willed and abuse of the influence they had.
“We have a responsibility to call out the actions or inactions of duty bearers, social commentators and ordinary citizens whose misdeeds can imperil our peace and endanger our democracy,” he stated.
Mr Monney said it was time for the media to be ethically disciplined and manifestly responsible in the discharge of their duties.
While being well-disposed to the financial disability of some media institutions to train and re-train their staff, he entreated journalists nationwide to take advantage of the training by Knutsford.
“Let’s accept any form of training, which does not have any strings attached to provide qualitative improvement in what is read, viewed and listened to, to the benefit the nation,” he advised and lauded the University for the “extravagant generosity” to formalise the training programme.
The Knutsford University College, established in 2007, is a private university in Accra with a campus in Kumasi with a student population of more than 1,500.
It is affiliated to the University of Ghana and the University of Development studies and offers programmes in business, science and technology, humanities and education and graduate studies and research.
GNA