By Edward Acquah
London, March 31, GNA – Ten Ghanaian science journalists have participated in a training programme at Imperial College London, aimed at enhancing their skills in communicating complex scientific concepts to the public.
The workshop, facilitated by Imperial College London’s experts, formed part of the implementation of the UK-Ghana Science, Technology, and Innovation (ST&I) Strategy – a joint strategy that seeks to strengthen the partnership between Ghana and UK in the areas of research, innovation, and technology transfer.
The invitation to Imperial College formed part of the Imperial’s efforts to promote science literacy and support the development of science journalism in Africa following the establishment of the Imperial Global Ghana hub in Accra.
By empowering Ghanaian journalists with the skills and knowledge to effectively communicate science, the College aims to contribute to a more informed public discourse on scientific issues in Ghana and beyond.
Dr Stephen Webster, Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at Imperial College, exposed the journalists to the relationship between science and journalism as well as the relationship between science and the public.
He said the interpretation of scientific papers must be relational to the public, adding that journalists must instigate debate to promote scientific knowledge and enable people understand science and engage with science.
Mr. Ehsan Masood, Bureau Chief, Editorials, Africa, and the Middle East at Nature, shared personal experiences in managing relationships between scientists and journalists and how to build trust without compromising editorial principles.
The training provided opportunities for the journalists to network with international peers and gain insights into global best practices in science communication.
Prior to the workshop, the Ghanaian journalists met with Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College, at Imperial’s White City Deep Tech Campus in London.
The President said Ghana’s universities could help drive economic growth and spoke positively about the potential of Imperial Global Ghana in supporting Ghana to leverage artificial intelligence to democratise research.
“Our partnerships with Ghanaian institutions will have a focus on grand challenges such as pandemic preparedness, infectious diseases, food and water security and future cities, but also how to harness the power of Ghana’s universities to drive economic growth,” Prof. Brady said.
“The Imperial Global Ghana hub will create a bridge between innovation ecosystems, so you get a flow of ideas, talent and capital,” he added.
Founded in 1907, Imperial College is a world leading university for science, technology, engineering, medicine, and business (STEMB).
Across nine campuses and throughout the Imperial Global network, Imperial has 22,000 students, 8,000 staff, and partners who work together on scientific discovery, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Having pioneered penicillin, holography and fibre optics, Imperial’s work navigates some of the world’s toughest challenges in global health, climate change, AI, business leadership, among others.
The UK-Ghana ST&I Strategy, which was jointly signed by Ghana and UK in 2023, focuses on the coordination of the research ecosystem, research commercialisation, knowledge and skill sharing, and supporting academic partnership in research and innovation in the two countries.
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