At least thirty journalists from the print and electronic media were last Friday, presented certificates after completing a three-week intensive capacity building, at a ceremony held at the Gambia Press Union secretariat in Bakau.

The training was organised by the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) in collaboration with the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP)  and co-ordinated by the Gambia Communication Agency and Baroueli Enterprises. Speaking at the ceremony, the lead consultant, Swaebou Conateh, explained that the objective of the training was to provide journalists with the relevant training which will be of direct practical application to the work of media practitioners in the field.

According to him, each participant has been graded in no less than 9 different fields such as law, ethics, journalism history and gender, human rights and English language as a working tool in the hands of journalist. He expressed hope that the training would serve as a stepping stone for better journalism practice in the Gambia citing that the role and responsibilities of the media cannot be effectively discharged unless they are endowed with adequate capacity and skills required in the field of journalism. He urged them to continue to make the profession not only a life long vacation but also of direct benefit to humanity as a whole.

For her part, Hannah Foster, the executive director of the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) congratulated the participants while describing the occasion as a milestone in the history of journalism in The Gambia.  She encouraged journalists to continue to endeavour to give creditable and reliable information to society. She expressed appreciation over the performance of the participants during the training programme, noting that their deliberations are indications that if they are given the chance, they will play a vital role towards the development of society.

Basirou Garba Jahumpa, programme specialist for governance and human rights of the United Nation Development Programme also commended the participants and urged them to make good use of the knowledge gained from the training and share it with their  colleagues who have not attended the training.

According to him, his agency from 2007 to 2011 places much emphasis on capacity building adding that UNDP will work with government in capacity building especially to the civil society and the media.  He added that UNDP is interested in the partnership to enhance the capacity of the CSP and the media. Mamadou Edrisa Njie, a participant from News and Report Magazine, thanked the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies and United Nation Development Programme for the initiative.