Building Competencies of Media Professionals in Eastern Africa on Health Reporting and Safety when Covering COVID-19 Pandemic

Within the framework of UNESCO’s thematic action, pluralistic media institutions are facilitated, including by adoption of gender-sensitive policies and through support for strengthened community media policy and practice, while citizens, and particularly youth, are empowered through enhanced media and information literacy (MIL) competencies. Through an EU-funded project on Addressing the Disinfodemic on COVID-19 in conflict-prone environments, UNESCO, in partnership with Africa Centre for People Institutions and Society, trained media professionals on the basics of professional health reporting and safety when covering pandemics, notably COVID-19 in Eastern Africa.

Acepis facilitated two-part, two-day online training workshops for 278 media professionals drawn from 149 media organizations across Eastern Africa – Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Somalia, Seychelles and Rwanda. 

The trainings was delivered by the Acepis team alongside five experienced media practitioners – experienced journalists and media and communications consultants – from across East Africa. These include Prudence Nyamishana (Digital content creator) from Uganda, Eunice Omollo (Nation Media Group), Rosalia Omungo (Kenya Editors’ Guild), Joseph Bonyo (Royal Media Services), and Aggrey Omboki (Communications consultant).