Spotlighting Ghana’s natural resources and environment sector

The training held on June 26, 2013 was a sequel to a media encounter held earlier by TBI Ghana in an effort to increase public awareness of the domestic lumber supply situation, and to create a permanent working relationship with the media in highlighting and addressing the illegal chainsaw-milling problem in Ghana. During the encounter, journalists requested support to facilitate the generation and broadcasting of relevant information about the environment, including those related to forests and water. TBI Ghana responded by sponsoring the capacity building session for 20 journalists in environmental reporting.

Participants were upbeat about the relevance of the training. They noted that in a country like Ghana where the quality and quantity of media coverage of the environmental and natural resources issue is low, a sustained and carefully orchestrated environmental reporting would ensure that people get informed about vital environmental issues, and become fully empowered to make the right choices. Moreover, participants remarked that, the role of journalists in environmental education is of particular importance because of the complex scientific and technical arguments, which envelop most environmental issues. Public participation in decision making relating to these issues is, therefore, largely dependent on the extent to which arguments, analysis and evidence relating to such issues are explained and disseminated.

At the end of the training, the participants initiated a process toward establishing a network of environmental journalists. Participants mandated a three-member task team to help mobilize interest of other journalists in support of environmental coverage and to steer the affairs of the fledgling network. TBI Ghana pledged continuous collaboration with the media in making knowledge work for forests and people.