MEST Entrepreneurs Win Top Prizes at Hack4Oil Hackathon

Entrepreneurs-in-Training from the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology swept up all three top prizes at the recently concluded Hack4Oil Hackathon organized by Penplusbytes.

The two day event was held at the New Media Hub in central Accra, where talented programmers, entrepreneurs, and civil society organizations worked together to figure out ways to use technology to bring transparency and accountability to Ghana’s nascent oil and gas sector. The hackathon participants were challenged to come up with a solution, build a functioning prototype of the technology, and pitch it to panel of judges.

The eager participants quickly divided into nine teams and were paired with industry experts from both the public and the private sector who provided important insights into the Ghanaian oil and gas industry. The teams also had access to experienced mentors who gave advice on product development, strategy, and how to effectively communicate their solution during the final pitch.

Two days with little sleep and many lines of code later, it was time for the final pitch. The judges evaluated the solutions based on criteria such as the quality of the prototype, the idea’s ability to be self-sustaining, and the quality of the pitch.

1st Place: Oil Journey

Team Oil Journey emerged as the winner, with their website that allows users to follow the money from oil revenues as it is spent by the government on various social and civil projects in the users’ community. The website also allows users to report on the progress of projects. The Oil Journey team consisted of MESTers David Mumuni, Alfred Ayi-Bonte, and Abideen Adelu.

2nd Place: Bale

Team Bale presented a web platform that helps local SMEs take advantage of the business opportunities in the oil and gas sector. The team was MESTers Lady Omega Hammond, Abdul Suleman, Eli Agbenu, and Blessing Onomesino.

3rd Place: Planeteers

In third place was team Planeteers with a service for citizens and NGOs who live and work in areas impacted by oil and gas exploration. Users could submit findings and data in a public format that made it easy for the media to shed light on potential issues arising from oil exploration. Team Planeteers consisted of MESTers Jesse Johnson, Cheryl Tetteh, and Saviour Dzage.

Beyond the hacks and the cash prizes, it was exciting to see the Ghanaian tech community thriving and coming out to contribute their invaluable skills to important social issues. The quality of the solutions was also impressively high given the short time period.

I have strong belief in technology’s ability to bring about positive impact on society, and that belief was reinforced by seeing the talented programmers and entrepreneurs out in force at the Hack4Oil hackathon. Thanks to the organisers and sponsors for a great event.

Source: meltwater.org/mest-entrepreneurs-win-hack4oil-hackathon/

Oil Journey wins top Prize at Hack4oil

Oil Journey wins top Prize at Hack4oil “Oil Journey” hackathon entry on how to enhance transparency in the oil and gas sector through an innovative tool which maps the journey of oil from exploration to production took the first prize at Hack4oil organised by Penplusbytes in partnership with Natural Resources Governance Institute (NGRI), Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and supported by STAR GHANA over 48 hours of hack days which ended on Saturday, October 25th, 2014 at the New Media Hub located in Osu Ako – Adjei, Accra.

Identifying the challenge of citizens to effectively keep track of gains accrued from the exploitation of oil and gas, the winning prototype of the team made up of David Alhassan Mumuni, Alfred Ayitey Ayi-Bontey and Abideen Adelu, is a platform with an SMS and voice system where people can subscribe to and receive information on exactly which development projects or activities is funded with money from the oil sector. Our voice mail service is done in local languages to allow all people have access to information. The prototype allows citizens to trace, monitor and review the application of oil money with an opportunity to influence the determination of which areas they will like the money to be used at.

Coming in at 2nd and 3rd out of the total of 8 teams formed were Infoil and Planeteers respectively. Infoil developed a prototype to aid monitoring and accessing the use of oil revenue while the planeteers focused on a prototype that empowers local communities and advocacy groups by providing a channel to identify and report the impact of oil and gas activities on marine ecology.

The rest of the teams were IDDL, Greenlight, IWitness, team Global and team Mekasa; all of which worked and displayed their developed prototypes on the key thematic areas of transparency and accountability (Follow the Money), Environment and Health, and Policy and Regulation.

Present on the opening day of the hackathon were the media, representatives of stakeholder organizations, institutions and industry players such as the Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS), Extractives Africa, West Africa Aids Foundation (WAAF) and the Petroleum Commission, and was mark by a brief ceremony which took the key-note address by Jim Cust, Head of Data and Analysis, and founding staff member of NRGI from his base in London as well as addresses by Kwami Ahiabenu, President of Penplusbytes and Mr. Benjamin Boakye, Project Manager at ACEP.

Hack4oil attracted an enthusiastic pool of programmers from the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), CODERYTE, Future Pip, the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana Telecom University College and Central University College who later formed teams to compete for the top prize of developing the most innovate tool over the period.

Sitting on the Judges panel to help in deciding the quality and efficiency of the various, developed prototypes on display were Mrs. Ekua Odoom, Managing Director at MEST, Mr. Teemu Ropponen, iLab Liberia Country director, Mr. William Sam, CEO at Praescient Software Limited, Mr. Edward Tagoe Director, Partnership and Projects Blogging Ghana and Mr. Raybon Bulley, Institute of Financial and Economic Journalist (IFEJ).

HACK4OIL, first ever hackathon to be held in Ghana on oil and gas sector, saw collaborative participation of various stakeholder bodies and institutions working within Ghana’s oil and gas arena with their ideas and core knowledge in the area on one hand, and the more technologically savvy members of society - developers and designers with their skills on the other hand, to garner innovative means of enhancing citizen engagement, government accountability and resource transparency.

Penplusbytes’ New Media Hub is pleased to announce the hosting of “HackAgainstEbola” https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hackagainstebola on November 19th and 20th, 2014 to help African journalists to develop prototypes against the Ebola epidemic.

Penplusbytes initiate Innovations in Oil Revenue Management

The Interntional Institute for ICT Journalism (Penplusbytes) on Friday opened a two-day "hackathon" which will focus on developing technological solutions to stimulate better management of Ghana's oil and gas resources.

Dubbed "Hack4Oil", the "hackathon" programme is bringing together stakeholders in the oil and gas sector, made up of Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and public agencies on one hand and software developers and mobile platform developers on the other, who would work to create software and hardware to address issues on oil revenue, health environment, and policy regulation.

A hackathon is an event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, collaborate intensively on software projects to create usable software that could be accessible to all who need such applications or operating systems and programming for their work.

The event is being organised with the support of STAR-Ghana, and in partnership with the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NGRI).

Mr Kwame Ahiabenu II, President of Penplusbytes explained to the GNA that ideas and technologies of participants will be elicited as part of a drive to garner innovative means of enhancing citizen engagement, government accountability and resource transparency.

He said Hack4oil would contribute significantly to better management of Ghana's oil and gas sector revenue and resources, through new digital technologies, which enable better oversight of the industry.

He indicated that the hackathon was, therefore, in direct response to a more general consensus by government, Civil Society, Journalists and citizens to take critical steps at ensuring widened opportunities for public participation in decision making with regards to the Oil and gas exploitation.

"This has become even more crucial with Africa's not so inspiring history of not making the most gains from extractives as resource – rich Nations have long been known to suffer what has come to be known as the resource curse, with most experiencing increased poverty and conflict", he added.

Mr Ahiabenu said for a country like Ghana, which was producing oil in commercial quantities, it was imperative that measures were put in place at every stage of the exploitation process to maximize the benefit thereof; picking lessons from the successes and failures of other states.

Explaining further, he said there would be a list of tasks to be completed for each problem scope presented, looking for instance at the oil industry and its potential for Ghana; which gaps exist, for which technology could fill, among other industry-specific probes.

The top three teams at hack4oil will receive various prizes as well as benefit from a two-months mentoring programme, where they would be receiving the necessary resources to develop a full-scale product that would be deployed at a future date.

The criteria for winning would be based on delivering solutions, which are context-relevant, easily adaptable and responding adequately to problem scope with innovative solutions, and uses technology that leverages pre-existing infrastructure.

Dr Paul Frempong, Advisor to the Petroleum Commission, Ghana, who took the participants through the local content law, said the Petroleum and Local Content Regulation of 2013 had been well designed to critically benefit, especially the Ghanaian people, in order to ensure that citizens were well placed to work in the industry.

Ghana News Agency (GNA)

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International Institute for ICT Journalism
www.penplusbytes.org

THE NEW MEDIA WRTING PRIZE 2014 NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES!

The New Media Writing Prize showcases exciting and inventive stories that integrate a variety of formats, platforms, and digital media. This international prize is now in its 5th year. The prize encourages and promotes the best in new media writing and is leading the way toward the future of the 'written' word and storytelling. In the past four years, the NMWP has attracted entries from the very best and most innovative writers in the field.

What Are The Prizes?
There are three categories/prizes -
Main Prize: £1000 donated
Student Prize: 3 months paid internship at Unicorn Training, Bournemouth, UK, working with Unicorn's writing and design team.
People's Choice Prize: Details TBC.


Main Prize Friday 28th November 2014 by 12 noon GMT;
Student Prize Friday 12th December 2014 12 noon GMT.

Shortlisted entrants will be invited to the Awards Ceremony, Wednesday January 21st 2015 at Bournemouth University. Winners will be announced at the Ceremony.


What Are We Looking For?
We are looking for good storytelling (fiction or non-fiction) written specifically for delivery and reading/viewing on a PC or Mac, the web, or a hand-held device such as an iPad or mobile phone. It could be a short story, novel, poem, documentary or transmedia work using words, images, film or animation with audience interaction. Interactivity is a key element of new-media storytelling.
We are looking for creativity, so try to be imaginative to create an engaging story i.e. combining any number of media elements, such as words on a screen combined with images and video clips. New media writing can be created using a variety of tools i.e. a word processor, DV camera, social networking tools (i.e. Twitter), mobile


APPLY AT http://newmediawritingprize.co.uk
 

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International Institute for ICT Journalism
www.penplusbytes.org

Penplusbytes Hack4oil to Drive Innovations in Oil Revenue Management

With the support of STAR-Ghana, and in partnership with the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NGRI), Penplusbytes’ New Media Hub (www.penplusbytes.org/location) will be hosting a hackathon from the 24th to 25th October, 2014. The 2 – day hackathon which is themed “Hack4Oil”, will focus on developing solutions to stimulate better management of Ghana’s nascent oil and gas resources as ideas and technologies of participants will be elicited as part of a drive to garner innovative means of enhancing citizen engagement, government accountability and resource transparency. This has become even more crucial with Africa’s not so inspiring history of not making the most gains from extractives as resource – rich Nations have long been known to suffer what has come to be known as the “resource curse” with most experiencing increased poverty and conflict. For a country like Ghana, which is producing oil in commercial quantity, it is imperative that measures are put in place at every stage of the exploitation process to maximize the benefit thereof; picking lessons from the successes and failures of other states. The hackathon is, therefore, in direct response to a more general consensus by government, Civil Society, Journalists and citizens to take critical steps at ensuring widened opportunities for public participation in decision making with regards to the Oil and gas exploitation. There will be a list of tasks to be completed for each problem scope presented looking for instance at “The Oil Industry and its potential for Ghana”, “Which gaps exist for which technology can fill” among other industry-specific probes. According to Kwami Ahiabenu, II, President of Penplusbytes, “Penplusbytes is very excited about Hack4oil since it will contribute significantly to better management of Ghana’s oil and gas sector revenue and resources through new digital technologies which enable better oversight". The top three teams at hack4oil will receive prizes plus 2 months of mentoring; receiving the necessary resources to develop a full-scale product which will be deployed at a future date. The criteria for winning will be based on delivering solutions which are context-relevant, easily adaptable and responsive adequately to problem scope with innovative solutions and uses technology that leverages pre-existing infrastructure. ABOUT 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. Africa Centre for Energy Policy- (ACEP) seeks to influence energy sector policies in Africa by providing professional analysis of energy policy, training, advisory services and policy advocacy for the efficient and transparent management of Africa’s energy resources. The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) is a non-profit policy institute and grantmaking organization that promotes effective, transparent and accountable management of oil, gas and mineral resources for the public good. Through capacity building, technical assistance, research and advocacy, the NRGI help countries to realize the development benefits of their natural resource wealth. STAR-Ghana is a multi - donor pooled funding mechanism (Funded by DFID, DANIDA, EU and USAID) to increase the influence of civil society and Parliament in the governance of public goods and service delivery, with the ultimate goal of improving the accountability and responsiveness of Ghana’s government, traditional authorities and the private sector.

Refresher Workshop for Journalists Covering the Extractive Sector in Ghana

Venue: Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, Accra (Mozambique Link, North Ridge) Date: Tuesday 21 October 2014

Objectives

1. To sustain the interest of the Ghanaian media in covering the extractive sector (oil, gas, and mining). 2. To increase journalists’ awareness and knowledge of current and emerging governance issues in the extractive sector. 3. To provide reporters who cover the extractive sector with a platform to test story concepts, seek the advice of mentors and senior journalists, and exchange ideas.

Background

Since 2010, NRGI in partnership with Penplusbytes has trained Ghanaian reporters and senior journalists/editors in the skills and knowledge needed to effectively cover the extractive sector. The outcome of this training, through the media course and the regional summer school, has been an increase in the quantity, quality, and scope of media coverage of oil, gas, and mining issues. STAR-Ghana is supporting the training program this year to consolidate and sustain its results and gains. Within the context of increasing accountability and responsiveness of government, traditional authorities, and private enterprises to Ghanaian citizens, STAR- Ghana aims to increase the influence of civil society organizations, parliament, and the media in the governance of public goods and service delivery.

Purpose

The goal of NRGI’s capacity development program for journalists in Ghana and other countries is effective and consistent oversight by the media of extractive resources and revenues, contributing to their improved use for the public good. Journalists can fulfill their oversight role only through informed analysis and reporting, high quality and thoughtful comment, and investigative efforts. In turn, this requires solid reporting skills, understanding technical issues, and access to information and experts.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the workshop and roundtable, the participants will: 1. Be familiar with emerging issues and trends in the extractive sector in Ghana. 2. Have learned about new research, data, tools, and resources relevant to journalists who cover the extractive sector. 3. Have reflected on their role as amplifiers of the citizens’ voice and ways to increase their effectiveness as journalists.

Lead Facilitator

Dr. Juliette Twumasi-Anokye holds a PhD in regulation, competition law, and economics from King’s College, London; LLM from University College, London; LLB from University of Ghana, Legon; and a post-graduate certificate in competition, regulation, and economics from University of Nottingham, UK. As a lawyer, she is qualified to practice law in Ghana and England and Wales. She is a regulatory specialist with over 20 years of experience in public law, anti-trust, regulation, local content, contracts, consumer protection, and policy development in various sectors in the UK, Europe, and Ghana. She is a partner at Anojul, Afriyie & Associates, a specialist regulatory, legal, and policy consultancy firm in Ghana and UK. Her clients include the Petroleum Commission of Ghana, where she is the consultant on local content. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Ghana Section. She was previously a senior legal counsel at the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Ghana, advising on a broad spectrum of legal issues in the energy sector, including power, renewable energy, and oil and gas matters.

#HackAgainstEbola campaign launched to help African journalists combat the spread of Ebola

Local journalists in Africa will be given funds to develop online and mobile tools to highlight and combat the spread of Ebola under a pioneering new campaign.

The Global Editors Network have launched the #HackAgainstEbola campaign at an event taking place in Accra, the capital city of Ghana.

Working in collaboration with PenPlusBytes, a Pan-African non-profit organisation, the Global Editors Network invited more than 30 journalists from local media and NGOs to develop new life-saving prototypes to fight the epidemic on the ground.

The World Health Organisation has said that we could have 10,000 new cases of Ebola a week by Christmas if the epidemic isn't handled properly.

To donate to this very worthy cause, click here.

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/ebola/hackagainstebola-campaign-launched-to-help-african-journalists-combat-the-spread-of-ebola-30669424.html

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International Institute for ICT Journalism
www.penplusbytes.org

HackAgainstEbola

Help African journalists to develop prototypes against the epidemic

Introduction Epidemics create panic, irrational information, dangerous rumours and uncertified facts, which can all generate chaos. Journalists must be prepared to fight all collateral damage associated with Ebola. Unfortunately journalists on the ground don’t have the necessary resources and tools that match the responsibility they have to inform local communities. This is why the Global Editors Network has decided to gather local journalists to empower them with the expertise to develop new applications and online tools that can save lives. New technologies and social networks will be crucial for covering and preventing the epidemic from spreading. Please help us to develop new prototypes!

Why Ghana? Ghana's proximity to extremely infected areas makes it a high priority location to intervene. Media in Ghana need to be ready with the right tools to fight Ebola. Ghana’s media is one of the most liberal in Africa, ranking 27th in the World Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders, which makes it the 3rd in Africa.

Over half of Ghana's population of 26 million (2013 figure) have access to the Internet. Social media is booming. Facebook counts more than 5 million Ghanaians. Over 90% of the population have cellphones, yet few of these are smartphones. Ghana's rapid technological progress urges the support from a broader more resourced journalism community to help local media.

What is the Global Editors Network? The Global Editors Network (GEN) is a non-profit organisation with 1000+ editors-in-chief from 80 countries seeking to empower journalists through innovation. GEN has been organising Hackdays around the world for the past 3 years. We have held similar events in Egypt, South Africa, Morocco and Nigeria. It is our responsibility to bring innovation where it is most needed. This is why we have decided to gather funds to hold this event in Ghana (and elsewhere in Africa, see below). The fight against Ebola is common ground for the worldwide community of engaged journalists.

Penplusbytes PenPlusBytes (PPB) is a Pan-African non-profit organisation based in Accra, seeking to empower media through new technology. PenPlusBytes focuses on developing social media, mobile applications and media monitoring. PPB's on-site knowledge and network will be a huge help in promoting this event. They will be essential in shaping the event and assisting the GEN experts to reach out to as many local journalists as possible. The event will take place at the International Institute for ICT Journalism headed by Kwami Ahiabenu (photo above). We also would like to thank BBC for their support in producing the video and helping us in this initiative.

The Impact 1. First objective: to provide the means and expertise for local journalists to develop digital tools based on mobile crowdsourcing. Our goals include: - Diffusing prevention measures to all - Debunking rumours that can be fatal - Locating infected areas and establish security perimeters - Connecting the population with health authorities - Developing small communities of proactive citizens. Here is a great example of a data-base of illustrations about key Ebola information from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2. Our second objective: Prototypes will be open source meaning that all news organisations in West Africa who are interested in civic engagement will be able to access the codes for these prototypes and develop them from their own newsrooms. Some takeaways for participants include: - A bound-together environment for collaboration in news innovation - Access to a network of international experts to help them develop new tools - New prototypes to inform populations about Ebola. Here is another great example about how the U.S. government is using data from cell phones to halt Ebola.

3. Third objective: At the end of the event, each team's work will be presented to the online GEN Community and generate contributions from developers, designers and editors from the world-renowned news organisations. Last but not least, the winning team will be invited to present their project in front of 600+ editors-in-chief at the annual GEN Summit to be held in Barcelona, Spain on 10 - 12 June 2015.

The format On 19 - 20 November, GEN and PPB will gather 30 journalists, developers and designers representing several well-established Ghanian media, startups and NGOs. Participants will benefit from workshops and insights from industry experts who will stay on site over the two days to coach the teams throughout their development process. Participants will be able to develop both mobile applications and online tools. The winning team will receive post-event mentoring from senior developers within the GEN network in order to implement their prototype.

The costs We need $9,000 to make this possible. This money will be used to cover the logistics of the hackdays as well as travel costs and accommodation for two GEN team members (Programme Director and Social Media Director) and the post-mentoring process of the winning project. Your money will also allow the winning team to present their project in front of more 600 editors-in-chief at the GEN Summit in June 2015 in Barcelona. Want to make a difference in the fight against Ebola? Help local media in Ghana develop new mobile applications and online tools. You can donate from $10 to $1200. Each donations have different rewards which are listed on the right side of this page. If we get more than $9,000, we will set up a new cycle of hackdays in Senegal and other African countries. Let's help the Ghanian community of media innovators develop life-saving tools.

Thank you so much!

Penplusbytes Hold 2nd Forum on Data Journalism for Improved Maternal Health

In recognition of the need for sustained efforts in exploring means to press on in demanding better quality of service from health officials and efficient allocation of funds from Government to improve maternal healthcare in Ghana, the International Institute of ICT Journalism – Penplusbytes, with support from STAR-Ghana, is holding a one day CSOs, Media and Health practitioners’ forum at the De Mork Hotel in Hohoe, Volta Region, on October 15th, 2014. The forum, which is the 2nd of its kind by Penplusbytes, is aimed at creating the needed collaborative platform for direct engagement between members of the media, health officials and other key stakeholder bodies. Ultimately, this forum is expected to draw their participation in holding responsive agencies and structures accountable in the expenditure and delivery of improved Maternal Healthcare. Chaired by Ms Charity Binka, lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Executive Secretary of the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) and a Women development advocate, the one day participatory engagement platform will have in special attendance, Dr. Mrs Margaret Kweku, MCE of Hohoe Municipal; delivering the keynote address, Dr Joseph Nuertey, Regional Driector of the Ghana Health Service (Volta Region) and Dr. Francis Zotor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) among other major stakeholders will also share expert views on maternal healthcare delivery in the region. According to Kwami Ahiabenu II, President of Penplusbytes, “this one-day forum falls under the ‘Open Ghana - Data Journalism for Improved Maternal Healthcare Delivery’ project designed by Penplusbytes to broaden the knowledge scope and equip the media in the use of techniques in data-driven journalism to tell impactful stories that reveal the various dynamics of maternal healthcare delivery in four districts in the Volta region – Ho, Hohoe, Kpando and South Dayi. The project looks to exploit available, innovative strategies for evidence-based advocacy in maternal healthcare delivery.” He also added that “the key to recording measurable success in achieving the country’s MDG5 target lies not in disjointed singular efforts by either Government, Civil Society, Journalists or duty bearers in the health sector but through finding that common ground and shared goal of ensuring accountability and efficiency in the utilization of resources for improved maternal healthcare within the targeted districts and the region as a whole.” ABOUT 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. STAR-Ghana is a multi- donor pooled funding mechanism (Funded by DFID, DANIDA, EU and USAID) to increase the influence of civil society and Parliament in the governance of public goods and service delivery, with the ultimate goal of improving the accountability and responsiveness of Ghana’s government, traditional authorities and the private sector.

10 DAY TRAINING IN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES APPLICATION ENDS AT THE NEWMEDIA HUB

The International Institute of ICT Journalism, Penplusbytes, with support from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) / Voice of America (VOA) W. Africa Office of Strategy and Development, implemented a capacity building strategy on New Digital Technologies in the newsroom for news production members from Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and TV Africa at the New Media Hub from Tuesday 23rd September to Saturday 4th October, 2014. The 2 week training workshop trained nearly 50 participants and delved into details of what new digital technologies entailed with critical lessons provided on the understanding of concepts of applying cutting-edge ICT techniques to the news generation and dissemination process. From the very basic to the more complex, Participants were taught how to access, research and apply new digital tools as well social media network platforms in the news production cycle. Mimicking the newsroom setting, the participants were given practical guidance on the applications of new digital tools with each trainee taken through the steps and techniques of using the camera; taking shots or videos as part of the news gathering process. Also lessons on editing videos or digitally collecting data at the production level for publication was also undertaken. “After going through such thorough exposition in areas such as Online Journalism and Research, Using social media as news source, storytelling and research, Computer Assisted Journalism, User Content Generation, Writing for the web and Building your presence online, all of which are crucial to the efficiency of the modern day news dissemination process, our trained participants will start enjoying a totally exhilarating newsroom experience using new digital technologies”. Kwami Ahiabenu, II, President of Penplusbytes As a way forward, Mr. Ahiabenu, II, added that “Capacity building is not a one time event especially for an area which is quite new to most newsroom team members, so steps should be taken to make this training regular and beyond beginner level, an advanced level course which will focus on the key area of specialisation should be introduced as well.” Expressing his thoughts on the programme, Jonnie Ayeetey, Head of News, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation said, “My objectives have been accomplished; I have been well trained in online reporting and all the pros and cons about video editing. I believe this knowledge I have acquired is a new experience which makes me different from other journalists.” ABOUT Penplusbytes is a leading pan-African, not for profit organisation seeks to empower the media through the use of ICTs to promote high quality journalism while at the same time working in good governance and technology, new media and innovations, as well as oil, gas and mining. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is both the name of the independent federal agency that oversees all U.S. civilian international media and the name of the board that governs those broadcasts. The Voice of America (VOA) is a dynamic multimedia broadcaster funded by the U.S. Government, broadcasts accurate, balanced, and comprehensive news and information to an international audience.

NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON GHANA’S IMF BAILOUT

Following Ghana’s request for IMF bailout, initial discussions between the government and the IMF have started. During these discussions last week, Ghana is reported to have made a strong case for economic support while the IMF sought clarity on proposals by government on how the economy would be rescued. IMF also collected for scrutiny relevant economic data. While conceding that the negotiations must necessarily be between government and IMF, it is important to stress that the ultimate Agreement will be for the people of Ghana and hence the need for broad consultation with citizens during the course of the negotiations. It is our considered opinion that citizen inclusiveness in the discussions will allow the much needed citizen buy-in which had been problematic with previous bailouts so that this one becomes the last bailout ever that Ghana will seek. This is particularly important because, in the past, lack of consultation has resulted in difficulty with citizen’s buy-in. This problem can be addressed if non-state actors can be mobilized to contribute to the outcome of the negotiations. Civil society must collate the views of identifiable bodies and the cross section of the society to arrive at a common position on the various issues to be negotiated. It is for the above reason, that the ad-hoc CSO platform on the IMF bailout has been formed. The platform will: 1. Initiate a National Conversation and hold a Forum to discuss and agree on common positions on the key issues by civil society to inform both GOG and IMF; 2. Engage the media, academia, faith based organisations etc. to embark on a sustained campaign to educate the citizens of Ghana on the bailout. 3. Endeavour to reach as many citizens as possible by deploying ICT tools and interventions to provide easy to comprehend messages through an interactive two-way SMS system, use of social media to encourage vibrant citizens discussion around the subject matter and an online platform to serve as one-stop-shop knowledge and resource center and a platform for citizen based advocacy. 4. Agree on mechanisms to monitor the implementation of the final agreement that comes out of the negotiations. Ultimately, the platform seeks to promote public awareness and inclusiveness in the bailout discussions and to arrive at common positions on the key issues for the benefit of both GOG and IMF. The initiators (listed below) of this ad-hoc Platform to start the National Conversation extend open invitation to all CSOs, NGOs, Professional groups, Academia, Trade Unions, Faith based organisations as well as all interested identifiable bodies who believe in citizen inclusiveness in major national issues to join the platform. The initiators are FAT-Africa, IMANI, SEND-Ghana, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, ACEP-Africa, Penplusbytes, and Occupy Ghana.