Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the maiden edition of the National Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP), which seeks to enhance the capacity of the media, would take place today, Monday, January 10, 2022, in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi.
The event, which is themed “Equipping the Media to play an effective role in our national building,” is designed to provide scholarships for some 250 journalists to be trained annually, and is expected to contribute to deepening media professionalism nationwide.
The principal objective of the programme is to enhance the existing knowledge base, skills set, and qualitative output of media personnel, by helping participants to develop a deeper understanding of socio-economic issues.
It also seeks to expand the existing knowledge of the role and contribution of the news media, and interrogate the state of the Ghanaian news media in contemporary socio-economic development and nation building.
The four-day event would also touch on refining skills fundamental to effective journalistic storytelling, focusing on nation building.
It would also consider laws, regulations, and ethics, and the ways in which they interact with and influence the effective practise of journalism in the country.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Information (MoI), it explained that the programme formed part of collaborative efforts by stakeholders in the media industry to support the sector which has been challenged in recent times.
As such, needs assessment, curriculum and faculty were agreed upon by an independent working group of experts, led by Professor Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
According to the MoI statement, faculties have been invited by the group from some of the nation’s leading communications schools and media houses.
It indicated that the Asantehene, His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was expected to perform the opening ceremony at Manhyia Palace, after which the training programme would commence.
The ceremony would be televised on Ghana Television and other private media platforms across the nation, as well as the Ministry of Information’s social media handles.
In attendance would be the Chairman of MCEP, who is also the Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, the United State Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Stephanie S. Sullivan, the Minister of Information, Kwadwo Oppong Nkrumah, and the Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdul Mumin Haroun.
