African Media and ICTs: Friends or Foes?
By Kwami Ahiabenu,II
INTRODUCTION
In most parts of the African continent, the media is assuming a very important position; influencing key decisions, facilitating change and providing voice for the people.
In sharp contrast, however, the media’s influence and stature in the ICT space is significantly insignificant –- dwarfed by other concerns such as politics, health and sanitation.
Undoubtedly, the continent’s media have a crucial role to play in the burgeoning ICT space but it is also quite obvious that they have a long way to go in becoming true power brokers, agent of change and influencer.
Currently, the media’s voice is hardly being heard, its presence is not visible and there is ample evidence pointing to its lack of influence in the ICT space.
What Is The Role Of The Media In The Information Society?
The media’s role in enabling ICTs for development is quite clearly laid out. And this is precisely because we cannot create an information society if the media is not playing a central role in serving as content generators, information disseminators, influencing policy formation, shaping public opinion, helping advocates for access especially in underserved areas and pushing for maintenance of service levels and ICT standards.
Generally the mass media can facilitate creation of awareness on the benefits of the effective use of ICT both at present and its huge potential in the future.
However, the media in Africa is currently not playing some of these set roles due to a number of reasons.
Essentially, media coverage on ICT over the years have tendered to be rather simplistic – mere news items that provide basic reports of events and speeches of government/public officials. There is hardly any in-depth analysis and or comprehensive coverage of the ICT sector and the evolving technologies and their implication on the world and on Africans in particular.
Aside, specialized ICT publications are rather few on the continent and most newspapers do not have a page or columns devoted to ICT issues. Radio and Television programmes are also quite rare.
This situation clearly does not lend itself easily to helping the continent’s media to assert their role in shaping the Information Society for Africa. This shortfall, notwithstanding, there are a growing number of print and electronic media and online outlets pushing ICTs content to its client base.
The Media & ICTs: Challenging Times
A number of complex multifaceted factors are at play if you attempt to understand the status of media in the ICT environment.
Indeed, if the news items found on the front pages of African publications are an indication of demand for such news items then ICT issues have not reached a high level of demand yet, not least when compared with political and socio-economic reports. Maybe the media need to look for political and socio-economic angles to ICT stories in order for them to receive priorities.
ICT content is almost and consistently relegated to obscure corners of inside pages of newspapers. Radio and Television coverage also follow similar patterns.
There is a growing perception of the fact that ICT content are too technical, thus media audience will find it difficult to read and understand. In context of this situation, most editors tend to avoid placing ICT stories in their publications. And the obvious question is why bother to find space for content your audience may not appreciate?
Furthermore, ICT content generation does not occur in the vacuum. That is to say, the ICT industry in Africa has a crucial role to play in helping the mass media generate such content. Presently, however such support from this burgeoning industry is still lacking especially in the area of information sharing and exchange.
Most journalism schools are still not teaching ICT journalism. This is at the heart of the scanty coverage of the ICT sector.
This is a serious problem because graduates of such schools are not ready to cope with the exigencies of ICT journalism when they come on the job. The schools teaching ICT journalism do not have an up to date curriculum which makes it difficult for effective teaching and learning. This situation is very true across the continent even in a more ICT centric country like South Africa.
Unfortunately, opportunities for on-the-job training in ICT are also unavailable. A reporter once remarked that, most editors would rather invest money in cars for news gathering rather than computers for the newsroom. Some newsrooms with computers tend to lock them up in editors' offices and it is not available readily for use.
Internet access is generally not available in some newsrooms and where they exist they are highly unreliable and too expensive for these media houses to maintain due to extreme high cost of bandwidth on the continent. Effectively, Journalists who want to undertake online research have to find time most often at their own expense to queue at cyber cafés, which by the way are now widespread across much of the continent.
Opportunities for online training for ICT Journalism are not wide spread even though a lot more online courses are now available. Penplusbytes, International Institute for ICT Journalism is one of the few organizations based on the continent working to fill the gap in ICT Journalism training needs through face-to-face, online discussion and it also maintain an online information resource on ICT Journalism.
Final Byte
It is quite clear that ICT is barely on the news agenda in the African media, though ICT Journalism apparently rapidly evolving. It is quite refreshing to note that African media are increasingly becoming aware of the roles they need and should play in evolving an Information Society and some media players are being proactive to ensure that this role is played effectively to propel the continent and its people into the information age.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Friday, February 18, 2005
West Africa Regional Workshop 2004 Report
Team report
Kwami Ahiabenu,II
Abui Akrobotu
Owoo Kwateboi
Thierry Amoussougbo
A- Introduction
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are revolutionizing a lot of fields including media. There is currently a drive towards new media where the power of new technologies are opening up and extending the frontiers of our media landscape.
From 1-2 June 2004, forty media people and journalists met for a two-day workshop, which took participants through various Information and Communication Technologies relevant for the media in the context of development. By the end of the workshop the participants had improved their capacity to apply new technologies in their jobs. More importantly they have started a journey as active participant in the new media landscape and started the initial process of forming an ICT4D media network.
B- Opening session
- Welcome remarks – Kwami Ahiabenu, II, President of Penplusbytes
- Purpose of seminar by Host country- Rayborn Bulley, GBC/Resource Persons (appendix one )
- Keynote address - Asamoah Boateng, Deputy Minister of Communications and Technologies, Ghana (appendix two)
The programme started with self-introduction of the participants. Then the facilitator announced to the participants the objectives of the workshop from the perspective of the resource persons, as stated below:
C- Objective
·
To provide knowledge-sharing platform for the media to understand key issues in the ICT
· Understand and review New Media
· Share common challenges on the use of technology in the newsroom and how to use it.
· Provide an opportunity for the media players to develop practical skills in using the technology
· How to enhance networking and knowledge sharing among media practitioners in the sub- region
· After reviewing these objectives, each participant was given an opportunity to share with the group their objectives in participating in this workshop.
D- The Workshop: Presentations
The workshop continued with participants given the opportunity to share with the group their expectations from participating in this workshop. These expectations have being summarized below:
How to Research
Ability to question ICT issues
Access more information
Dealing with ICT security
How to tackle challenges
Online journalism
Update knowledge
upgrade knowledge
How to use technology effectively
How to inform and educate listeners
check reliability of sources
Find new tools and technologies
How to search for information
Equip with new tools, communicate better, and have efficient means of research
New knowledge about the Internet communication
Update knowledge in ICT and learn about Internet research
How to access relevant information
How to create awareness about ICT and development
Find out about talents in ICT space and what they are doing in the area of ICT4D. This information can be used for news or features
Day 01
More on ICT4D terms, WSIS and Digital divide issues (appendix three)
Resource Person – Kwami Ahiabenu, II( President Penplusbytes) and Thierry Amoussougbo
From the newsroom to the Web Online Journalism. (appendix four)
Resource Person - Sammy Ato Afful, Choice FM, Ghana.
Clarification of concepts: ICT4D, Information, Knowledge, Digital opportunities
Introduction of AISI framework
From Millennium Developmental Goals to WSIS - Putting the media on the Centre stage(appendix five)
Resource Person: Thierry H. Amoussougbo, Regional Adviser Development Information Services Division,United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Media, Elections and Technology - providing space for participatory democracy(appendix six and seven)
Resource Persons Rayborn Bulley & J.S.T Abbosey
Day 02:
The Highway Africa News Agency – An Overview
Resource Person : Chris Kwabato, Director Highway Africa (appendix eight)
Overview of Knowledge Management, or Information Sharing from an African perspective (appendix nine)
Resource Person –Kwami Ahiabenu,II
Closing Session
Way Forward: Participants discuss various ways they can transfer skills from the workshop to their newsrooms
General Discussion: Building regional Media Networks
Facilitator: Kwami Ahiabenu,II
Network
- independent group with clear agenda, common interest in ICT and Media and vision. This agenda and vision must be collectively be developed by network members
- commitment from members is key to success
- regular meetings
- provide support for members such as training, skills development and capacity building
- leadership to be provided by working group
- we should avoid reinventing the wheel by learning from strength and weakness of other existing network
Time Framework
The network must be developed within one month from 3rd June 2004
Key Things To Do
1. Develop a plan for the group
Leadership – temporary working group
1. Ebenezer Osei-Kofi- Business and Financial Times
2. Justine Senuvie- Public Agenda
3. Lydia Ofori Abakah – Ghana News Agency
4. Owoo Kwateboi – Evening News
5. Eric Osiakwan – Penplusbytes
Proposed Next Meeting
12th June 2004 at 2:00pm
· Regional Network ( Temporary Nodes)
· Cote d 'Ivoire
ü Theodore Kouadio,Fraternite Matin
· Ghana
ü Ebenezer Osei-Kofi- Business and Financial Times
· Nigeria
ü Segun Oruame, IT & Telecom Digest
The Way Forward
1. Each participant should write out a report and share with team at newsroom
2. Develop support mechanism such as group discussions
3. Work hand in hand with management to improve or introduce appropriate technologies in the newsroom
Day 03
There were presentations in line with the Eighth Annual West African Information and Communications Technologies event based on the theme:
“Building Public- Private Partnership and Creating Opportunities Through ICT”.
Two main presentations have been made during this day:
· Need of the private sector and the Academia to work in synergy to improve education in Africa by introducing ICT at all levels.
· Youth and ICT and ongoing discussions on Youth and Information Society with the support of ECA, presented by Leopold Armah.
VII- Quotes from Participants
Ayitey Raymond, Royal Technology
Knowledge about ICT will assist me in gathering news and information to feel the public
I think that an ICT media network would permit the media community to share ideas easily and transmit news to the public with transparency.
Naa Abeley, GBC TVP
ICT in my work will help me acquire more knowledge, easy access to information, research so will enable me come with more news (stories) within the shortest time. Fast feedback , save time and energy and money .
Media Network will enhance the production and broad dissemination of information.
Ebenezer Osei, Business Financial Times
ICT can improve productivity at my workplace by improving delivery, content management etc..
ICT4D media network can foster an inclusive information society in Africa.
John Kumadi, The standard (jkumado@yahoo.co.uk
ICT enables me to keep my information, preserve it and disseminate easily
Owoo Kwateboi, The Evening News
ICT can make my work very easy. It can help me to gather information and to process work easily. Delivery will be on time.
ICT4D Media Network will be useful, because multimedia and inclusive instrument will enable information delivery easier to information consumers. This can mainly lead for society development owning knowledge and information.
Noelline Okene Dsan, The Statesman
ICT will make my work easier and effective.
ICT4D is useful because it will help create an effective awareness in our society in ICT. Thus educate the public well as the media is the mouth mediator of the public.
Lydia Ofori Abakah, ghnews@ghana.com, Ghana News Agency
ICT being and will still a tool that enhances professionalism, would help make a difference in my work and job as a journalist. When I am well educated and trained in ICT, it would broaden my knowledge about world events, social, economic, political etc and I would be able to disseminate information and educate the general public.
Certainly an ICT4D media Network can help bring about an inclusive Information Society. In the sense that, when the media is brought together and is well informed and educated, it can in turn educate the public effectively about ICT and its opportunities.
ICT as I have learnt is a tool in managing work and creating better form of presentation to the listeners. It is a way of packaging your item best for the consumer.
The media now can depend on ICT and there is the need for the society to develop a scene to ask for more information related to ICT
ICT can make a difference in my work by helping me get to more audiences i.e. giving me a wider coverage. Also it can help me to get easy access to more information from other media houses or websites. It will speed up my work since I can communicate with others easily. It is quick, fast and convenient.
ICT4D Network can bring about an inclusive information society— bridging the digital gap and reaching out to everybody. i.e. the rich, e-poor, the elite or everybody.
We will get more information and get it to everybody through the media__ example the radio which is a powerful tool.
Esther Lartey, The Heritage lastherlove@excite.com
ICT enables me to make researches to produce an accurate report:
- Speed up my work on information gathering by communicating with others through the Internet
- It can also help me to get more audience by publishing my articles on the Internet which in turn attracts larger audience and readership
ICT4D media network can help by creating awareness in the general public towards development.
Christian Agubretu, Ghana News Agency
ICT can do a lot; it will make you faster, speed up coverage, increase readership.
ICT4D media network can generate wider and efficient news coverage. Its efficiency and effectiveness will depend on its operation and management.
Emmanuel Tandoh, Daily Graphic
The knowledge in ICT will help me to save time and money to bring development and information to the public.
ICT4D will be useful by educating more journalists who will in turn educate the public.
Abui Akrobotu, Ghana Television News (GBC)
By using Internet as a research tool, I can access a wide range of information to enhance my work. I can also manage time ffectively by using ICT which impacts positively on society.
ICT4D Media Network can only be possible with the right information for the society development. It must also be geared towards the society’s well being
David Agbesi A., Ghanaian Times
Knowledge about ICT will assist me in gathering news and information to feel the public
ICT4 Media Network need to promote journalists capacity building
Fred Sarpong, Channel R
ICT can help me transmit my stories access to information in other countries and also help relay information to others;
ICT4D Media network can be done when all journalists are equip with ICT knowledge. The network need to build their capacity.
Kwami Ahiabenu,II
Abui Akrobotu
Owoo Kwateboi
Thierry Amoussougbo
A- Introduction
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are revolutionizing a lot of fields including media. There is currently a drive towards new media where the power of new technologies are opening up and extending the frontiers of our media landscape.
From 1-2 June 2004, forty media people and journalists met for a two-day workshop, which took participants through various Information and Communication Technologies relevant for the media in the context of development. By the end of the workshop the participants had improved their capacity to apply new technologies in their jobs. More importantly they have started a journey as active participant in the new media landscape and started the initial process of forming an ICT4D media network.
B- Opening session
- Welcome remarks – Kwami Ahiabenu, II, President of Penplusbytes
- Purpose of seminar by Host country- Rayborn Bulley, GBC/Resource Persons (appendix one )
- Keynote address - Asamoah Boateng, Deputy Minister of Communications and Technologies, Ghana (appendix two)
The programme started with self-introduction of the participants. Then the facilitator announced to the participants the objectives of the workshop from the perspective of the resource persons, as stated below:
C- Objective
·
To provide knowledge-sharing platform for the media to understand key issues in the ICT
· Understand and review New Media
· Share common challenges on the use of technology in the newsroom and how to use it.
· Provide an opportunity for the media players to develop practical skills in using the technology
· How to enhance networking and knowledge sharing among media practitioners in the sub- region
· After reviewing these objectives, each participant was given an opportunity to share with the group their objectives in participating in this workshop.
D- The Workshop: Presentations
The workshop continued with participants given the opportunity to share with the group their expectations from participating in this workshop. These expectations have being summarized below:
How to Research
Ability to question ICT issues
Access more information
Dealing with ICT security
How to tackle challenges
Online journalism
Update knowledge
upgrade knowledge
How to use technology effectively
How to inform and educate listeners
check reliability of sources
Find new tools and technologies
How to search for information
Equip with new tools, communicate better, and have efficient means of research
New knowledge about the Internet communication
Update knowledge in ICT and learn about Internet research
How to access relevant information
How to create awareness about ICT and development
Find out about talents in ICT space and what they are doing in the area of ICT4D. This information can be used for news or features
Day 01
More on ICT4D terms, WSIS and Digital divide issues (appendix three)
Resource Person – Kwami Ahiabenu, II( President Penplusbytes) and Thierry Amoussougbo
From the newsroom to the Web Online Journalism. (appendix four)
Resource Person - Sammy Ato Afful, Choice FM, Ghana.
Clarification of concepts: ICT4D, Information, Knowledge, Digital opportunities
Introduction of AISI framework
From Millennium Developmental Goals to WSIS - Putting the media on the Centre stage(appendix five)
Resource Person: Thierry H. Amoussougbo, Regional Adviser Development Information Services Division,United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Media, Elections and Technology - providing space for participatory democracy(appendix six and seven)
Resource Persons Rayborn Bulley & J.S.T Abbosey
Day 02:
The Highway Africa News Agency – An Overview
Resource Person : Chris Kwabato, Director Highway Africa (appendix eight)
Overview of Knowledge Management, or Information Sharing from an African perspective (appendix nine)
Resource Person –Kwami Ahiabenu,II
Closing Session
Way Forward: Participants discuss various ways they can transfer skills from the workshop to their newsrooms
General Discussion: Building regional Media Networks
Facilitator: Kwami Ahiabenu,II
Network
- independent group with clear agenda, common interest in ICT and Media and vision. This agenda and vision must be collectively be developed by network members
- commitment from members is key to success
- regular meetings
- provide support for members such as training, skills development and capacity building
- leadership to be provided by working group
- we should avoid reinventing the wheel by learning from strength and weakness of other existing network
Time Framework
The network must be developed within one month from 3rd June 2004
Key Things To Do
1. Develop a plan for the group
Leadership – temporary working group
1. Ebenezer Osei-Kofi- Business and Financial Times
2. Justine Senuvie- Public Agenda
3. Lydia Ofori Abakah – Ghana News Agency
4. Owoo Kwateboi – Evening News
5. Eric Osiakwan – Penplusbytes
Proposed Next Meeting
12th June 2004 at 2:00pm
· Regional Network ( Temporary Nodes)
· Cote d 'Ivoire
ü Theodore Kouadio,Fraternite Matin
· Ghana
ü Ebenezer Osei-Kofi- Business and Financial Times
· Nigeria
ü Segun Oruame, IT & Telecom Digest
The Way Forward
1. Each participant should write out a report and share with team at newsroom
2. Develop support mechanism such as group discussions
3. Work hand in hand with management to improve or introduce appropriate technologies in the newsroom
Day 03
There were presentations in line with the Eighth Annual West African Information and Communications Technologies event based on the theme:
“Building Public- Private Partnership and Creating Opportunities Through ICT”.
Two main presentations have been made during this day:
· Need of the private sector and the Academia to work in synergy to improve education in Africa by introducing ICT at all levels.
· Youth and ICT and ongoing discussions on Youth and Information Society with the support of ECA, presented by Leopold Armah.
VII- Quotes from Participants
Ayitey Raymond, Royal Technology
Knowledge about ICT will assist me in gathering news and information to feel the public
I think that an ICT media network would permit the media community to share ideas easily and transmit news to the public with transparency.
Naa Abeley, GBC TVP
ICT in my work will help me acquire more knowledge, easy access to information, research so will enable me come with more news (stories) within the shortest time. Fast feedback , save time and energy and money .
Media Network will enhance the production and broad dissemination of information.
Ebenezer Osei, Business Financial Times
ICT can improve productivity at my workplace by improving delivery, content management etc..
ICT4D media network can foster an inclusive information society in Africa.
John Kumadi, The standard (jkumado@yahoo.co.uk
ICT enables me to keep my information, preserve it and disseminate easily
Owoo Kwateboi, The Evening News
ICT can make my work very easy. It can help me to gather information and to process work easily. Delivery will be on time.
ICT4D Media Network will be useful, because multimedia and inclusive instrument will enable information delivery easier to information consumers. This can mainly lead for society development owning knowledge and information.
Noelline Okene Dsan, The Statesman
ICT will make my work easier and effective.
ICT4D is useful because it will help create an effective awareness in our society in ICT. Thus educate the public well as the media is the mouth mediator of the public.
Lydia Ofori Abakah, ghnews@ghana.com, Ghana News Agency
ICT being and will still a tool that enhances professionalism, would help make a difference in my work and job as a journalist. When I am well educated and trained in ICT, it would broaden my knowledge about world events, social, economic, political etc and I would be able to disseminate information and educate the general public.
Certainly an ICT4D media Network can help bring about an inclusive Information Society. In the sense that, when the media is brought together and is well informed and educated, it can in turn educate the public effectively about ICT and its opportunities.
ICT as I have learnt is a tool in managing work and creating better form of presentation to the listeners. It is a way of packaging your item best for the consumer.
The media now can depend on ICT and there is the need for the society to develop a scene to ask for more information related to ICT
ICT can make a difference in my work by helping me get to more audiences i.e. giving me a wider coverage. Also it can help me to get easy access to more information from other media houses or websites. It will speed up my work since I can communicate with others easily. It is quick, fast and convenient.
ICT4D Network can bring about an inclusive information society— bridging the digital gap and reaching out to everybody. i.e. the rich, e-poor, the elite or everybody.
We will get more information and get it to everybody through the media__ example the radio which is a powerful tool.
Esther Lartey, The Heritage lastherlove@excite.com
ICT enables me to make researches to produce an accurate report:
- Speed up my work on information gathering by communicating with others through the Internet
- It can also help me to get more audience by publishing my articles on the Internet which in turn attracts larger audience and readership
ICT4D media network can help by creating awareness in the general public towards development.
Christian Agubretu, Ghana News Agency
ICT can do a lot; it will make you faster, speed up coverage, increase readership.
ICT4D media network can generate wider and efficient news coverage. Its efficiency and effectiveness will depend on its operation and management.
Emmanuel Tandoh, Daily Graphic
The knowledge in ICT will help me to save time and money to bring development and information to the public.
ICT4D will be useful by educating more journalists who will in turn educate the public.
Abui Akrobotu, Ghana Television News (GBC)
By using Internet as a research tool, I can access a wide range of information to enhance my work. I can also manage time ffectively by using ICT which impacts positively on society.
ICT4D Media Network can only be possible with the right information for the society development. It must also be geared towards the society’s well being
David Agbesi A., Ghanaian Times
Knowledge about ICT will assist me in gathering news and information to feel the public
ICT4 Media Network need to promote journalists capacity building
Fred Sarpong, Channel R
ICT can help me transmit my stories access to information in other countries and also help relay information to others;
ICT4D Media network can be done when all journalists are equip with ICT knowledge. The network need to build their capacity.
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