As part of Ghana’s efforts under the National Framework for Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (NAFPCVET) to create awareness, sensitise, and educate citizens on the threats of violent extremism, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), with support from the European Union (EU), has organised a media advocacy training session dubbed, “The Role of the Media in Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism.”
The European Union (EU) funded PCVE training intends to improve the knowledge and strengthen the capacities of media professionals for effective agenda-setting, reporting, and publicity of PCVE activities throughout the country.
Speaking at the training workshop at Tamale in the Northern region, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mrs. Kathleen Addy, said the training became necessary because of the important role media houses and practitioners can play in preventing and containing violent extremism in the country.
Using the 7 April and 15 July 1994 Rwandan Civil War as a case study, Madam Kathleen Addy believes the number of people who died wouldn’t have died if the media had not put up a report like they did about the killing of over one million people.
“The reason why we gather the media here today is to help us understand the context of this project not just for the project but for the country as a whole because when it comes to this kind of issues, violence, Extremism, conflict chaos, break down of law and order how we report it, is the key to how it is resolved.”
“I see that the media can play a positive role. It is the same, that the media can play a negative role. If media houses can push some people to go and stone others, it means media houses can also push people to do the right thing. That is what I believe. So we are here today to discuss and learn about the ins and outs of the project and the threats we are facing as a country. We have experts here who understand the role that we need to play as media to ensure that we don’t contribute negatively to the whole situation,” she said.
The National Framework for Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (NAFPCVET) was developed in 2019 to identify the threats posed by terrorists, fight against extremist activities, and implement strategies to curb the rate of terrorist attacks in Ghana.
The media training and advocacy workshop saw media practitioners comprised editors, senior journalists, hosts, and producers in the five northern and three adjoining regions.
Dr. Baba Sayuti, who is with the Ministry of National Security, also acknowledged the efforts of the media and called for collective effort in fighting violent extremism in the country, as the government has put up a good number of measures to protect against any extremism.
Source:A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHZ|David Azure |Tamale|
