Google, UNESCO Strengthen Digital Journalism Training in Africa

By Sodeinde Temidayo David

A global initiative to promote excellence in journalism education to enhance journalists’ training in Africa has been launched by Google in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

This initiative aimed to support digital journalism training will continue over the next 18 months through the Google News Initiative (GNI) for Africa.

The first edition of the virtual event kicked off on Monday, October 25 and will end on Friday, October 29, 2021. Journalists interested in the daily 45-minute session are expected to visit the Google web under the GNI platform.

“The pandemic has changed the way people interact with news and accelerated that shift to digital. There has never been a time when access to good quality journalism has been more important.

“This programme will seek to establish, define, and implement the local definitions of excellence in journalism. We will work with the 100 different journalism schools targeting to benefit over 4,000 journalists,” the President for EMEA Business and Operations at Google, Mr Matt Brittin, stated.

On its part, UNESCO will use its networks of established journalism schools to launch the collaborative programme that will enable journalists to better respond to the major changes in journalism and publishing in recent times.

According to the Director of Strategies and Policies, Communication and Information at UNESCO, Mr Guy Berger, the agency has very different countries as members, with different approaches to journalism, and that the one thing that they all agree on is that journalists should be well-trained.

The event would bring together experts from Google and the industry to share tools, training, and best practices, from understanding how small and medium-sized news organisations can grow their digital business to how to use consumer insights and data to better understand reader preferences and increase profitability and engagement.

Google is increasing its investment in and support of journalism in Africa, including a News Lab Teaching Fellow who provides locally relevant training for journalists in Southern Africa and programmes such as the Digital Growth Programme and Innovation Challenges which support publishers in their digital transformation.