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The 59th training course for young African Journalists has opened in Cairo, Egypt.
The three-week training programme, organised by the Union of African Journalists (UAJ) in collaboration with the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, has brought together 13 journalists from various African countries.
It is an annual event which allows African journalists to build their capacities, acquire new skills in diverse areas, as well as network and share ideas on how best to tell the African story.
Participants include journalists and media professionals from Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Chad and Egypt.
Topics to be tackled during the course are artificial intelligence, energy in Africa, basic media work ethics, the state of international media after the Gaza War and cyber and media security, among others.
Addressing participants in the opening ceremony, the President of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation in Egypt, Karam Gabr, called on journalists to promote peace and unity on the continent.
He emphasised the need for the media to lead the way for a unified continent and remove the stereotypes by Western media.
Mr Gabr said the continent had been portrayed as bad for a long time and that it was time for the African media to project a positive image of the continent, highlighting the rich history, culture and potential of the continent.
He also stressed the importance of building bridges of communication and understanding between journalists and media professionals across Africa, stating that the training course affirmed Egypt's keenness to enhance media cooperation with all African countries.
“This shall contribute to bringing people closer together and serving the interests of the people of the African continent,” the President of Egypt’s Media Regulation Supreme Council said.
A member of the Technical Secretariat of the UAJ, Ezzat Ibrahim, praised the SCMR’s support for the union’s activities through events and training courses, stating that the 59th course was being held to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the union.
Mr Ezzat, a veteran Egyptian journalist, said over the years, the UAJ had provided about 2,500 opportunities for journalists across the continent intending to build their capacities and promote the rich culture of the continent.
Also, a representative of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Ali, said the programme formed part of Egypt’s commitment to enhance media cooperation on the African continent.
