Lango: 40 journalists undergo training on digital inclusion

By Isabella Awor Olong

Lira City – July 26, 2022: Forty journalists selected from media houses across Lango sub-region have undergone regional media dialogues and training on digital inclusion.

Digital Inclusion refers to activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to and use information and communication technologies (ICTs).

The use of ICT was the focus of the Monday training and other recent training in Arua and Gul cities.

Among the journalists empowered with the knowledge on digital inclusion by Media Focus on Africa (MFA Uganda) at Gracious Palace Hotel Lira on Monday, July 25, 2022, were from Radio Lira, Daily Monitor, QFM, TND News, Radio Wa and Unity FM.

Others were from Dokolo FM, Kioga FM, Vision group, NBS TV, Devine FM, Voice of Lango FM and Voice of the Gospel.

Jan Ajwang, the Program Manager and Team Leader of MFA Uganda said since media provide a platform for debate and holding leaders to account, the training will help empower the journalists and strengthen their reporting such that the marginalized people are not left out on the benefits of digitalization.

 

“Don’t just write for the sake of writing, we are writing to hold leaders to account. It’s one year past the critical election, there were promises in the manifestos by the politicians and government that they would be held accountable,” Ajwang told trainees.

 

At the same event, MFA Uganda’s RuthNagudi said: “There is limited reporting on digital inclusion activities in the country by journalists; if there is any new initiative, it’s only reported once and forgotten.”

 

According to Martin Wabomba, the News Editor for Radio Lira who was part of the training said, “I gained skills on how to interact and get stories from the community using different media platforms and also write stories engaging on digital inclusion.”

Dan Okello Eboko, the Program Manager for Kioga FM believes that after the training he can take a new trend in digital reporting to change the community.

He called upon journalists who missed the opportunity to liaise with others to gain the knowledge they missed to be empowered.

Vincent Kaguta, New Vision’s Reporter in northern Uganda said in the world of today, media has become as necessary as food and clothing.

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“It has played a significant role in strengthening society. Media is considered a “mirror” of modern society, infecting the media which shapes our lives,” Kaguta added.

The purpose of the media is to inform people about the current, new affairs and to tell about the latest gossip and fashion. It (media) tells about geographically divided people.

The increasing reporting on digital inclusion in rural Uganda by Media Focus On Africa is supported by CIPESA and by the end of September they expect to have trained about 240 journalists across the country.