Africa Means Busine generates 00 news stories in first year

May marks the end of the Africa Means Business projects first year. Bettina Peters reports on the impact of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project by the Thomson Foundation on participating journalists and economists.

The 15 journalists from Ghana and Kenya, who participated in the first set of Africa Means Business courses are making good use of their new skills and contacts.

Between them they produced almost 200 articles and news programmes in the past six months covering different economic issues.

In both countries, the issues covered most often were health economics and analyses of the budget and impact of international economic trends on local businesses.

The economists who took part in the courses told the Thomson Foundation that since the training, they are in touch with media organisations at least once a month and many of them have been interviewed as experts on radio. Before the training most of them had virtually no contact with journalists.

Unique collaboration What makes Africa Means Business different from other journalism courses is that it works via a unique collaboration between the media and economists.

Journalists are trained in reporting on financial, economic and business topics, while economic researchers are given the skills required to identify and provide material of media interest.

In Ghana, stories that came about as a result of the links built through Africa Means Business included reports on organisations accessing funds through the carbon credit, the activities of unscrupulous microfinance firms and concerns over a rural electrification programme.

In Kenya, participants produced reports on the country's increasing life expectancy, how HIV is most prevalent amongst rich Kenyans and the success of a Nairobi business modelled on the UKs Pret A Manger food stores.

Africa Means Business will run until November 2013. For more information please visit the AMB website.

LINK:	http://www.thomsonfoundation.org/news-and-features/2013/05/08/africa-m...
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