By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Sogakope (V/R), Sept. 25, GNA – Mrs Beatrice Asamani Savage, the Director of Editorial, at the Ghana News Agency has reminded the Agency’s journalists of their responsibility to produce important and impactful stories that shape national discourse and policy for sustainable development.
“The work of News Agency is never spectacular. The details of our operations are for the most part, little known to the general public. Nevertheless, we have a vital part to play in the functioning of an informed democracy and the building of a progressive nation,” she explained, while paraphrasing the quote of a former general manager of the Reuters news agency.
“We have a responsibility to empower citizens with the knowledge we impart, inspire them with the information we give and to facilitate the progress of our society with the education we give,” she added, referencing Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Mrs Savage made the remarks as the Agency’s editorial staff undergo a four-day intensive training under the Post COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project, at Sogakokpe, in the Volta Region.
The project to be implemented over the next five years, is a government of Ghana initiative with funding from the African Development Bank, as part of a broader objective towards a recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Director of Editorial said management believed that training and retooling of the staff were critical in improving efficiency and effectiveness of the staff of the Agency.
This would also improve and sustain the news agency’s reputation as a credible source of accurate and unbiased news and information over the decades.
Mrs Savage told the participants that their forebears had left excellent footprints in sustaining the reputation of credibility and professionalism for the GNA, amidst the limited resources with which they often worked.
It was the turn of the present generation, therefore, to build on the gains made by embracing continuous improvement in their knowledge and skills in line with the scientific-based needs of citizens and technological trends in journalism.
”It is your turn to keep the wheels going; once you have held the plough don’t look back, make the necessary sacrifices,” she encouraged.
The reporters would be schooled in five modules to improve their delivery in advocacy journalism, health communication, gender reporting, climate change sustainability reporting, facilitating the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and using digital communication tools to tell compelling stories.
The Institute for Digital Marketing and Communication is running the training programme, while the Social Investment Fund is implementing the Post Covid-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project, on behalf of the Government.
The other beneficiaries are School of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Medical Microbiology and the Biomedical Centre all of University of Ghana; and the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre, (MASLOC).
The objective of the project is to contribute to Ghana’s Post-Covid-19 recovery through the development of infrastructure, health skills development in higher education, restoration of livelihoods, the creation of jobs, especially for the youth and women, among others.
GNA