Monrovia Liberia – About forty three journalists from across Africa have benefited from a four-day Media Training on Disaster Risk Reduction.
The workshop, held in Mombasa, Kenya, was intended to sharpen the skills of Media practitioners in promoting the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
The participants, from various African Countries, gave their own perspectives on Disaster Risk Reduction reporting.
Speaking at the end of the ceremony, a senior media Personnel from Liberia, Winne Jimmy, of the Inquirer Newspaper underscored the importance of vigorous awareness on the issue of disaster.
The Paper’s Editor, Winne Jimmy, stressed the need for media practitioners to exert efforts in educating the public about disaster management.
The training was organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, in collaboration with the Disaster Risk Reduction Network of Africa Journalists (DIRAJ).
Editor Jimmy urged Liberian media outlets to be proactive in disseminating information of all forms on disasters, pointing out that human activities are sometimes responsible for disasters (man-made disaster), due to lack of public education.
Meanwhile, Journalists Ro-main De-ka-d-jeui and Damali Mukhayo of Benin and Uganda says experiences shared by media representatives from other African Countries would be incorporated to enhance their reportage in their respective countries.
The gathering also focused on sharpening the participants’ skills in promoting the implementation on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
At the same time, the Sendai Framework acknowledges the Media as a key stakeholder in its implementation and calls for the engagement of multi-stakeholders in the pursuit of community resilience.
The workshop also served as a platform for dialogue among journalists from various backgrounds while, at the same time, identifies the need to provide support to enhance their work.
It can be recalled in November of last year, journalists from English speaking West Africa member states of ECOWAS attended a two-day ECOWAS Regional Media Training Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management held then in Accra, Ghana.
Topics discussed during the capacity building training in Accra, included ECOWAS Role in the Disaster Risk Reduction in the region, ECOWAS Regional Communication and Media Strategy on DRR and the Basics of the Disaster Risk Reduction Concepts.
Others included the Importance of the National and Local Disaster Risk Reduction Policies, Links with the Sustainable Development Goals, African Concepts, among others.
