Egypt Climax Training Course For African Journalists

About 22 journalists from selected African countries have participated in the 52nd training course for young African Journalists organized by the Union of African Journalists (UAJ) in collaboration with the Supreme Council for Media Regulation in Cairo, the capital of Egypt.

The intensive 20-day training which started on November 9, 2018 drew journalists countries like Ghana, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Gambia, Niger, South Africa, Cote d' lvoire, Uganda, Djibouti, Tunisia, Namibia, Nairobi, Lesotho, Botswana, Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Angola and Senegal.

The young Journalists were enlightened about the targets of sustainable development, infrastructure as a Sine-Qua-Non condition for Inter-African Cooperation, the situation of refugees and the unemployment in Africa, and underwent a professional development course at the instance of the American University in Cairo.

They received lectures on 'Chinese African Relations between exaggeration and minimization,' 'African culture and its social and economic income,' the benefits of switching from the ordinary to Electronic, Government on state revenue, Economic exploitation of African resources, problems and solutions of African press, hydraulic challenges in Africa; impact on development on the African continent, and the media's contribution to realizing continuity between African countries.

As part of the training, the Journalists visited some tourist sites including the Egyptian Museum, the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile sat, the Pyramids and Sphynx, the Citadel of Qait Bay, the Library of Alexandria, the Royal Jewellery Palace, the Media Technology Institute, the head office of the UAJ, some Media outlets including the Middle East News Agency, as well as toured some religious complexes and met the President of the Constitutional Court of Egypt.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the programme, Mr Ahmad Salim, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, said the training would later be upgraded to an Academy to enhance training of Journalists across the Continent.

He noted that the media played important roles in showcasing the cultural values and principles of the African Continent, and said there was the need to equip media practitioners with the requisite knowledge and technology to properly perform their duties.

Mr Salim described the training course as successful and called on the young Journalists to put to practice the knowledge imparted to them.

Dr Samia Abbas, Secretary General of the UAJ who read a speech on behalf of Mr Mahfouz Al Ansari, President of the UAJ, was hopeful that the training would help contribute to the development of their skills as Journalists, and strengthen the unity between Journalists across Africa.

'We are happy to have sons of different countries of Africa here to share experiences,' and disclosed that the Union would create a website to enable it establish more contacts with Journalists from different countries across the Continent.

She said they were sons of the same Continent and the interest of Egypt in training Journalists was under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi when he headed a conference for youth in Sharm El Sheikh.

Dr Abbas expressed gratitude to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation and to individuals and institutions that contributed to the success of the training, and used the opportunity to urge other African countries to organize similar training courses for Journalists to broaden their knowledge.

Ms Awa Sowe, a Journalist from Gambia in a speech read on behalf of her colleagues, expressed gratitude to the government of Egypt, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, the UAJ and their respective Associations for the opportunity to undergo the training.

She said they had benefited from the training, adding that 'As young Journalists, we would reflect on our role to educate, inform and entertain the masses. This therefore poses a challenge to us to research widely about African issues to be able to articulate and write accurately.'

The Journalists were awarded certificates of participation at the end of the training.

---Ghana News Agency