“We believe that through such projects professionals and technocrats in all fields of endeavour would continually share knowledge and development experiences in order to realize aspirations of the people”, Mr. Han Liqiang, Deputy Director of the Center, noted.

Addressing the opening ceremony of a capacity-building seminar for some selected Ghanaian media professionals in Beijing, he said the goal was to strengthen bi-lateral cooperation amongst the two countries.

The thirty-day programme is being organized by the CIPG and sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China.

Twenty (20) media professionals selected from the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Information Services Department (ISD), as well as officials of Ghana’s Ministry of Information are participating in the seminar.

It is designed to sharpen the professional skills of the participants to enhance their competency for effective work, particularly within the framework of the China-Ghana development agenda to help promote the socio-economic and cultural interest of the people.

Mr. Liqiang indicated that the participants would be sensitized to topical issues ranging from the function of media in China-Africa relations, management and regulation of China’s internet news, China’s technological development and innovation, as well as the new trend of news gathering and editing.

The others include the concept and path of China-Africa media cooperation, China’s political system and the leadership’s concept of governance, international communication and professional cultivation of China news, the trend and application of China’s new media, as well as China’s development and innovation of intelligent technology.

Mr. Liqiang was optimistic that the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, a project of the Chinese government to facilitate trade and economic relations amongst Asian and African countries, would bring prosperity to the people.

The Deputy Director said since opening up its corridors to the world about four decades ago, China had consistently embraced cross-fertilization of development models and ideas. This, he observed, was being pursued vigorously for the common good of the masses, and encouraged Ghanaian media professionals to work assiduously to advance issues related to the development needs of the people. 

Mr. Kofi Ohene Benning, Deputy Human Resource Director of Ghana’s Ministry of Information, lauded the Chinese government for its continued sponsored training programmes for media professionals.

He said this had created the avenue for beneficiaries to broaden the scope of their knowledge, while bringing standards into journalism practice in the interest of the nation.