NITDA commences digital training for journalists

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in collaboration with the Image Merchants Promotion Ltd (IMPR) – Publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential – and Penlight Centre for Investigative Journalism, has commenced a digital training for journalists in Abuja, Nigeria.

The training workshop, according to NITDA’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Hajiya Hadiza Umar, is part of efforts to equip journalists with the modern available tools and ethics required for effective reportage.

Declaring the Workshop opened, Hajiya Hadiza admonished the participants to ensure that the knowledge acquired in the course of the training is beneficial to them in particular and the country at large.

She said: “There is no doubting the fact that we are in a digital era where everything is now based on computer and internet. It is therefore of interest to us at NITDA for our journalists to take advantage of available digital tools to do their jobs effectively and serve the country better.”

She however added that: “The digital era has however come with its challenges, one of which is the overbearing presence of social media. Of course, the unregulated social media is a free marketplace where anything and everything goes – fake news, toxic content, hate speech and inciting narratives – because there are no gatekeepers to direct the traffic. The theme of this Workshop which emphasises ethical reporting and the use of digital tools to detect fake news is therefore very apt and timely.”

The Chief Executive officer of IMPR, Yushau Shuaib, eulogised the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami and the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, for their unrelenting efforts in bridging the digital divide across the country.

While encouraging the participants to pay attention to every detail they are taught, he noted with optimism that the outcome of the training would be impactful and beneficial to the participants.