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First-Ever International Law Reporting Training Workshops In Africa To Be Held In Ghana

By Nana Yaw Baafi
Africa First-Ever International Law Reporting Training Workshops In Africa To Be Held In Ghana
DEC 17, 2015 LISTEN

The US-based Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) will hold the first-ever international law reporting training workshops for Ghanaian journalists and student journalists in Accra, Ghana. About 80 practicing journalists and student journalists are expected to attend two separate workshops beginning , December 21st.

The student journalists, who are drawn from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), will attend the workshop next week and the workshop for practicing journalists is scheduled for the first week of January next year.

ACILA, which is incorporated under US law as a 501(c) (3) research and education think tank and aims to contribute to African scholarship through enhanced understanding of international law, will hold the workshop for the student journalists in collaboration with the Faculty of Journalism of the Ghana Institute of Journalism. It plans to hold similar workshops for student journalists and African journalists in West, East, North, and South Africa next year.

According to Mr. William Nyarko, Executive Director of ACILA, the training comes at a time when State Parties and non-state actors have increased their use of the international legal system to resolve disputes, making it imperative for the media to acquire an appreciable knowledge and understanding of the international legal system and demonstrate the knowledge in their reportage.

He said that while much of the reportage of international law issues continues to be undertaken by the well-resourced international media to the disadvantage of the under-resourced African media, the recent media coverage of the Ghana/Cote d'Ivoire maritime delimitation dispute by the Ghanaian media shows that when given the knowledge and opportunity, African journalists can do much better reporting on international legal issues.

Explaining the inclusion of student journalists in the workshop, Mr. Nyarko noted that student journalists who receive training in international law reporting will be better prepared for professional practice once they graduate from school.

Commenting on the significance of the maiden workshop for student journalists, Mr. Zakaria Tanko Musah, Head of the Print Journalism Department, GIJ, said that GIJ is thrilled to be associated with the maiden workshop in the sub region, adding “It has been long overdue but it is better late than never.”

The key objective of the workshops is to enhance the capacity of participants in reporting on international legal issues in order to contribute to good governance, rule of law, anti-corruption, human rights, and States’ compliance with international instruments. The following outcomes are expected at the end of the workshops:

• An enhanced understanding of the international legal framework.

• A demonstrated ability to utilize research tools to locate decisions of international legal institutions for news gathering and reporting.

• An appreciable knowledge of the international legal system/institutions, including the International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, and international arbitration systems and institutions.

• An understanding of the international human rights system and courts/bodies, including the African Court on Human and People's Rights, United Nations Human Rights Council, and the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

The workshops will be facilitated by Mr. Nyarko, Executive Director of ACILA. He has expertise in both international law and journalism. Mr. Nyarko holds a Master of Laws in International and Comparative Law (LL.M) from the George Washington University Law School, US; a Master of Public Policy from George Mason University, US; an LL.B (Hons) from Nottingham Trent University, UK, and a diploma in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.

Some of his recent Africa-related research interest and publications include the Ghana/Côte d'Ivoire maritime boundary delimitation dispute and several commentaries on Africa's relationship with the International Criminal Court. As a journalist, he won the best investigative journalist award in Ghana two times.

Signed
Mr. Carl Essel Mensah, Esq.
Deputy Executive Director and Board Member
Africa Center for International Law and Accountability

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