By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Oct. 15, GNA – The 2026 UK Media Excellence for Emerging Technologies (UK MEET) Fellowship has opened in Accra with a week-long residential programme to strengthen Ghanaian journalists’ capacity to report on science, technology and emerging innovations.
The programme brings together 30 journalists and content creators for training in verifying information, scrutinising scientific claims and translating complex technological developments into accurate, accessible and impactful stories.
Mr Ryan Wilson, Head of Communications at the British High Commission in Accra, said trusted journalism was increasingly important as artificial intelligence transformed content production, while misinformation became more sophisticated.
He said the challenge was no longer simply accessing information, but determining its accuracy, scrutinising claims and explaining complex issues in ways audiences could understand.
Mr Wilson said the fellowship was not intended to tell journalists what to think, but to equip them to ask better questions, challenge assumptions and examine the evidence behind scientific and technological claims.
“Accuracy, credibility, and storytelling, that really is what this fellowship is about,” he said.
Mr Wilson said the initiative, now in its fourth year, had supported about 70 journalists over the previous three years, some of whom had produced reports on science, technology, innovation, health and climate issues.
Others had built relationships with researchers, experts and fellow journalists, contributing to a growing alumni network in Ghana and other parts of West Africa.
He said collaboration among journalists, researchers and other stakeholders was essential to addressing the challenges of an increasingly complex information environment.
Mr Wilson urged the fellows to develop strong reporting proposals focusing on misunderstood issues, unanswered questions and stories capable of making a meaningful difference to society.
Participants with the strongest pitches would be considered for a knowledge-exchange programme in London in late November, where they would engage with researchers and experts at Imperial College London.
He encouraged the fellows to participate actively in the sessions and apply the skills acquired to produce original reports.
Mr Wilson said the fellowship’s success would be measured by the stories published, conversations initiated, audiences reached and trust built among journalists, researchers and the public.
The Ghanaian cohort began the programme with virtual orientation sessions on October 6 and 8, ahead of the residential convening in Accra from October 11 to 17, 2026.
The fellowship is delivered by Imperial College London through Imperial Global Ghana, in partnership with the British High Commission in Accra and the UK in Nigeria, with support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Candidates were independently assessed by two reviewers and selected based on their reporting records, clarity of perspective and the strength of their proposed stories, particularly the questions they intended to investigate.
The residential programme covers artificial intelligence, climate change and resilience, biomedical innovation and public health, and electronic waste and the circular economy.
Through masterclasses, practical storytelling workshops, editorial clinics and engagements with researchers, participants will learn to examine evidence, interrogate technological claims, identify relevant data and develop rigorous reporting proposals.
The editorial clinics will also help the fellows refine their pitches, strengthen their sources and develop strategies for producing and publishing evidence-based reports.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Pictures Added
Reporter: Eric Appah Marfo