Wednesday, June 18, 2014

New Media Hub to Drive Innovation in Ghana's Non Profit Sector

A stakeholders’ consultation on sharing ideas and insights on how organisations especially non-profits can maximise the use, innovation and impact of new digital technologies for greater impact took place on 17th June, 2014 at  New Media Hub located at No. 1 Ostwe close, Ako Adjei Osu, near Osu Ako Adjei.



The New Media Hub is an Accra-based innovation hub run by Penplusbytes supports non-profits and CSOs to achieve greater innovation and creative impact in their work using new digital technologies. The Hub aims at stimulating non-profits, CSO, media and journalist to apply innovative technology tools such as mobile apps, social media tools, software and online tools among others to transform their work. Providing a more effective and efficient avenue for content creation, publishing, digital distribution and consumption via internet-enabled digital devices, ICT has enhanced media and journalism work with increased audience and citizen participation by making available an easy way for users to collaborate, share documents and data with others.

This has indeed helped in speeding up the rate at which ideas are generated, processed and utilized with consequential value of a far richer and more engaging arena for social action and development. ICT has made exchange of ideas between communicators and receivers easy hence making the communication process people centered.

NGOs are turning to the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to ensure more effective ways of planning and executing their programmes, engaging people, in establishing networks and in disseminating information about their activities. Advanced ICT has increased NGO’s ability to mobilize information strategically to help to create new issues, to persuade, apply pressure and gain leverage. The tremendous prospect for driving more advanced usage of technology among NGOs would impact on their abilities to meet their strategic objectives

During this stakeholders’ consultation, participants drawn from civil society organization, NGOs (local and international), ICT, media, government Agencies, donor groups and the general public (beneficiaries) will share their experiences, challenges and opportunities in the use of ICT and new media and discuss the current technology and innovation needs of their organization and their sector as whole.  The new media hub is a state of the art multi-functional new digital technological space, networking people, stimulating innovations and accelerating technology solutions to make dividends of democracy more tangible.
   
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Established in 2001, Penplusbytes is a leading organization in Africa working in 3 areas: governance and accountability, new media and innovations as well as oil, gas and mining. It consists of a network of media organizations and journalists interested in using ICTs to effectively advance high quality journalism. The organisation has trained hundreds of journalists and civil society actors from various parts of Africa and across the globe in cutting edge new media technologies, governance and accountability and extractives sector.

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