Global tech giant Google has announced the launch of the ‘Global Initiative for Excellence in Journalism Education’ to enhance journalists’ training across Africa. The announcement was made during the inaugural Google News Initiative (GNI) for Africa virtual event that started on Monday 25 October 2021 and will end on Friday 29th October 2021.The initiative to support journalism training will be rolled out over the next 18 months and is being implemented in partnership with UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and is aimed at updating journalism education programmes in over 100 journalism institutions in Africa.“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,” Matt Brittin, President for EMEA Business and Operations, Google says,“This programme will seek to establish, define, and implement the local definitions of excellence in journalism. We will work with 100 different journalism schools targeting to benefit over 4,000 journalists.”According to a statement, 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.
“At UNESCO, we have very different countries as members, with different approaches to journalism — but the one thing that at least they all agree on is that journalists should be well-trained,” says Guy Berger, Director of Strategies and Policies, Communication and Information, UNESCO. The week-long GNI for Africa virtual event will provide an opportunity for journalists, publishers, and content creators in Africa to find out more about Google’s training programmes for journalists and news business professionals.The event brings 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 has held two successful Innovation Challenges where Google supported 43 GNI projects in 18 countries.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.
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Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry