Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has launched a 'Toolkit' for the training of journalists and media practitioners in Africa with a call for the continued education of journalists and
communicators to enable them to better inform their publics.
He said the fast changing pace of events in the world called for constant upgrading of knowledge, especially, for people tasked with the
responsibility to inform and educate the public.
A statement from his Spokesperson, Mr Frank Agyekum, said the launch of the toolkit formed part of activities at the ongoing 14th Annual Highway Africa Conference and the 2nd African Education Journalists and Journalists Trainers at Rhodes University in South Africa.
The Toolkit' titled: "Communication for Education and Development," has been developed over the past two years by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), based in Cotonou, Benin.
About 25 experts from across Africa worked on the 450-paged 'trainer of trainers' document meant to improve the standards of information sharing, reporting and advocacy in education on the continent
It will help to develop and enhance professional skills of communication, public relations officers and media practitioners
specializing in education and make them aware of how to complement one another in order to improve communication in Africa.
The document will also provide trainers with the basics which will be the starting point for drawing up and organizing training in education as well as be a comprehensive source for the different target groups on global, regional, sub-regional treaties, legal instruments and national policy linkages and share best practices on education in Africa, among others.
About 400 delegates including 10 Ghanaians are attending the conference under theme: 'African voices - In the Global Space,' at the four-day conference from 4th July to 7th July, 2010
Former President Kufuor said Information Communication Technology had made the world a truly global place.
"Newly emerging economic powers are probing all the time, finding ways not only to make their mark on the world scene, but even upstage the
traditional powers as we have known them."
He said there was competition in all facets of life that posed an even greater challenge to professional journalists because today, information could be had just with the click of a button. Some of this information are even put out by people who a not professional journalists.
He said for professional journalists to make their mark they needed to deepen their knowledge so that they could stand out from the crowd and
become a more reliable and credible source of information.
Former President Kufuor re-affirmed his belief in the freedom of the press but asked that this must be exercised with responsibility in order not to
erode the benefits that are intended to be derived from it.
"One of the first acts of my government was to repeal the criminal libel law which had been on our country's statute books since the colonial days. With the media freed we saw a phenomenal rise in the number of media houses that sprung up."
He expressed regret that not all of them exercised their mandate with the discretion that was required but added that he believed with time and proper education and the understanding of the immense responsibility that they carry the media would come around to be really appreciated as the
Fourth Estate of the Realm.
Former President Kufuor was Special Guest at the opening of the conference and participated in panel discussion on "African Media and the Global
Development Agenda." He was Guest of Honour at a dinner hosted by the ABSA bank for him.