Journalists from eight regions in the country have undergone a training to improve their knowledge and strengthen their capacities for effective aganda- setting, reporting and publicity on Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) in the country.
The day’s training, held in Tamale, was also to empower them to be advocates, educators and ambassadors of violent extremism and to make citizens more security conscious and encourage the youth “at risk” not to fall prey to violent extremists.
The participants, made up of editors, senior journalists, and producers, were drawn from the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Bono, Bono East and Oti regions.
The training was organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) as part of its PCVE project being implemented in those regions with funding from the European Union.
Madam Kathleen Addy, Chairperson of NCCE, speaking during the training, emphasised the need for media practitioners to use their platforms to create awareness on and enhance community resilience against threats of violent extremism.
The PCVE project, which is in line with the National Framework for Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (NAFPCVET), is aimed at strengthening state actors (governance, security, media) and non-state actors at the national and community level in the fight against violent extremism, and individuals identified as at risks prevented from joining violent or criminal groups.
The NAFPCVET was developed in 2019 to identify the threats posed by terrorists, fight against extremist activities and implement strategies to curb the rate of terrorist attacks in the country.
Madam Addy said the country was facing real threats as a result of the activities currently ongoing in the Sahel region.
Dr Baba Sayuti, Senior Policy Analyst, Ministry of National Security, who made a presentation on responsible reportage in relation to NAFPCVET, expressed need for media practitioners to work together with other stakeholders to ensure the safety and security of the country.
