Some forty journalists and Information Service Centre operators in the Ashanti Region have benefitted from a 3-day training on reporting on mining and related issues, organized by AngloGold Ashanti Ghana (AGAG), Obuasi Mines.
The workshop facilitated by El de D Consult was under the theme, “Covering mining amidst Covid-19 and political campaigning”.
Participants were taking through topics including the mining value chain, mining in Covid-19 era, the cost of political risk and tension on business operations.
Other areas of focus included evaluation of online news, and how to blog. The participants were also taken on a field trip to see at first hand, one of the many reclaimed AGAG sites, to enable them to understand the decommissioning process of the mining value chain.
Separate sessions were held during the workshop for the Information Service Centre operators to ensure that the course content was tailored to their peculiar need.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Senior Manager, Sustainability at AGAG, Mr. Emmanuel Baidoo, stressed on the mining giant’s commitment to help build the capacity of the media to enable them to report on the sector effectively.
He emphasized the important role the media, including the Information Service Centre operators, plays in informing the public, and said it was essential for corporate organizations to invest in support for professionalism within the media space.
He challenged the participants to make the best of the opportunity and put to practice all that they would learn from the training.
Lead facilitator and Chief Executive of El de D Consult, Fred Avornyo, expressed concern about the inadequate training opportunities for the media in Ghana, and commended AngloGold Ashanti Ghana for the initiative.
He admitted the challenge that confronts the media in reporting effectively and accurately on the sector, but added that training opportunities such as the one offered by AGAG, will eventually improve on the quality of reportage not just on mining, but on news reportage in general.
The workshop was held at the AGAG Enterprise and Skills Development Centre in Obuasi, a centre set up by AGAG to train different people in different skills set as part of the company’s sustainability activities.
The training workshop participants who came from major media houses and information service centres in Obuasi and Kumasi were excited at the opportunity as well as the knowledge and skills acquired. The workshop facilitators have also created a virtual platform for post workshop continuous learning and mentoring for the participants.