NITDA Commences Digital Training for Journalists in Abuja

NITDA Commences Digital Training for Journalists in Abuja

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in collaboration with the Penlight Centre for Investigative Journalism and the Image Merchants Promotion Ltd (IMPR), has commenced aĺ digital training for journalists in Abuja.

The training workshop, according to NITDA’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Hajiya Hadiza Umar, is part of efforts meant to equip journalists with modern available tools and ethics required to do their jobs better and also serve the country effectively.

Declaring the Workshop open, Hajiya Hadiza admonished the participants to ensure that the knowledge acquired in the course of the training is beneficial to them in particular and the country at large.

She said: “There is no doubting the fact that we are in a digital era where everything is now based on computer and internet. It is therefore of interest to us at NITDA for our journalists to take advantage of avaible digital tools to do their jobs effectively and serve the country better.”

She however added that: “The digital era has however come with its challenges, one of which is the overbearing presence of social media. Of course the unregulated social media is a free market place where

anything and everything goes – fake news, toxic contents, hate speech and inciting narratives – because there are no gate keepers to direct the traffic. The theme of this Workshop which emphasizes ethical reporting and the use of digital tools to detect fake news, is therefore very apt and timely.”

The chief executive officer of IMPR, the Publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, Mr. Yushau Shuaib, eulogised the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami and the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, for their unrelenting effort in bridging the digital divide across the country.

While encouraging the participants to pay attention to every detail they are taught, he expressed optimism that the outcome of the training would be impactful and beneficial to the participants.

By PRNigeria