By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, May 22, GNA – Journalists, bloggers, public relations officers, and content creators in the Upper East and Northern Regions have undergone training in digital content creation and mini-video blogging to promote accurate and balanced reporting on free movement and migration within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region.
The training, organised by Media Response with support from FMM West Africa under the Free Movement and Migration West Africa II Project, sought to equip participants with practical digital storytelling skills to counter misinformation and negative narratives surrounding migration and regional integration.
The project dubbed; “Reframing Narratives on Free Movement and Migration in West Africa,” is being implemented with support from ECOWAS and focuses on strengthening ethical and development-oriented reporting on migration issues.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Ms Deborah Enam Apetorgbor, Research and Communications Officer at Media Response, said misinformation and disinformation about migration and the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol continued to shape public perception negatively across the region.
According to her, the increasing reliance on social media and digital platforms for information made it necessary to equip journalists and content creators with the right tools and knowledge to report accurately on migration issues.
“We are talking about digital content creation and video blogging because new media is now the norm. People are increasingly turning to social media for information, so it is important that we equip journalists and content creators with the right information to report accurately and ethically on free movement,” she said.
Ms Apetorgbor explained that the training formed part of a series of workshops being organised across three regions, including the Western, Volta, and Upper East Regions, to build the capacity of media practitioners in migration reporting.
She said the project would also introduce a digital content creation and mini-video competition to encourage journalists and content creators to produce stories on free movement, border relations, and migration experiences within the ECOWAS region.
“The competition will focus on reporting on free movement at the borders, interviewing people, and discussing their understanding and perceptions of free movement. We want the public to understand the pros and cons of free movement,” she said.
Mr Samuel Dodoo, Executive Director of Media Response, who took participants through the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol, stressed that free movement did not mean “borderlessness” but rather regulated movement guided by established ECOWAS protocols.
As part of the next phase of the project, he said weekly radio discussions would be organised for 10 weeks in border communities, including Elubo on the Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire border, Akanu on the Ghana-Togo border, and Paga on the Ghana-Burkina Faso border.
The discussions, he noted, would involve immigration officers, journalists, transport operators, traders, and other stakeholders to examine the realities and implementation challenges of the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol.
Mr Albert Sore, the Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association, urged journalists to avoid stereotypes and emotionally charged narratives in migration reporting.
He observed that migrants were often portrayed negatively in media reports, a situation that contributed to discrimination and xenophobic sentiments in some African countries.
“Migration is not just about statistics or border crossings. It is about people, opportunities, survival, culture, dreams, and sometimes struggles,” he said.
Mr Sore encouraged participants to take the training seriously, saying digital storytelling, video production, and editing skills would not only improve migration reporting but also enhance their overall journalism practice.
Deputy Superintendent of Immigration, Mr Rockson Akanbang, the Mognori Commander, Ghana Immigration Service, took participants through the role of the Service at the borders to ensure that migrants were admitted into the country legally and urged the public to cooperate with them to ensure the right thing was done to prevent infiltration of criminals.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Email: [email protected]