(Thursday September 01, 2016 Issue)
The
Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in collaboration with the ECOWAS Centre for
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), under the West African Clean
Cooking Energy Alliance (WACCA) initiative, is to organise a daylong capacity
building seminar for journalists from media outlets in the country and
communication experts of relevant government institutions.
The
seminar, to be hosted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, is expected to
be held on 7 September 2016, at the Paradise Suites Hotel.
The
overall objective is to build the capacity of journalists and other
communicators to better play their vanguard role with regards to the issue of
access to sustainable energy for cooking, so they can help in advocacy and
awareness creation through information dissemination to stakeholders along the
value chain.
This
will help remove communication barriers that hinder the widespread promotion of
clean cooking energy solutions.
The
capacity building seminar will contribute to the ECOWAS Bioenergy programme and
the implementation of the West African Clean Cooking Alliance (WACCA) Regional
Action Plan supported by the Austrian Development Cooperation.
One
of the objectives is to give 25 journalists relevant information on the
negative consequences of traditional equipment and cooking fuels on the
environment, human health and socio-economic development.
It
is also to equip media practitioners to play a lead role in promoting a
widespread adoption of sustainable cooking solutions.
The
expected outcome of the seminar is to make sure that the 25 journalists have a
better understanding of sustainable
cooking energy services, as well as to ensure they have the required in-depth knowledge of unsuitable equipment and cooking fuel and
their negative consequences on the environment, human health and development,
and so on.
It
is also to make sure that participants are properly equipped to support the
efforts of WACCA and national alliance in communication and awareness raising,
as well to commit journalists to be more involved in advocacy and sensitization
of stakeholders in ECOWAS.
The
seminar targets journalists from the print and online media, radio, television
and bloggers, and participants will also attend the launching ceremony of the
National Alliance for Sustainable Cooking Energy.
