Media Expert, Francis Kokutse has raised questions about the government’s ongoing Media Capacity Building Training. Mr Kokutse wondered whether the training would have the impact organisers hope it would. He also wondered whether the training is in the context of academic progression or professional development.
Speaking to Samuel Mbura on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East, Mr. Kokutse explained that government has to recognise that all Media outfits have their own specialized areas of focus, ‘house styles’ and other interests that drive content creation and programme. Thus, a programme, that will seek to bring journalists from different organisations under one roof, under the guise of training or re-training would be an exercise in futility.
“I was trained on the job. When I got the [New Times Corporation], there were people who were versed in how Ghanaian Times operates, the kind of stories they want and how they go about their duties. Graphic [Communications Group] had a different style. That’s my problem. What kind of training are they giving them? Is it academic, is it professional?” he asked.
“If you take someone from Ghana Broadcasting Corporation [GBC] and someone from Joy FM [the Multimedia Group] into one classroom to train, what kind of training are you going to give them? Who is going to train them?” he asked.
He said such training programmes should not be the prerogative of the government. Mr. Kokutse explained that if the government has had concerns with the way the media operates, the root cause of the problem and suggest more specialized solutions to deal with same.
Background
At least 250 selected journalists are to benefit from a Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP) annually.
The programme facilitated by the Ministry of Information (MOI) in collaboration with the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Private Newspapers Publishers Association (PRINPAG) and the Institute of Public Relations Ghana (IPRG) will see the fees of beneficiaries fully borne by MOI.
Speaking at a Development Partners’ Conference on Media Support Programmes in Accra, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said “the Ghanaian media occupies a very significant place in our national life. It has the potential to multiply our best efforts. It also has the potential to take us down south”.
“It must not be left on its own to prod through the dark, hoping to find its way to the very top. It must be assisted and supported with the best of our technical and financial muscle to make excellence of global repute, the norm and not the exception.”
A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith |Bolgatanga|Ghana
