The training was geared towards supporting youth organisations to mainstream and integrate MIL into their policy and strategies.
Lamin Queen Jammeh, Minister for Information and Digital Media in his remarks during the opening urged participants to take the training seriously to avoid unethical reporting and the processing of information.
“We are prone to being exposed to any kind of information in the media such as misinformation, unethical reports, among others. Therefore going through such trainings will help in how we handle information we come across in the media,” he said.
He also urged participants to disseminate the knowledge gained from the training to their various organisations and regions.
Mamadou Edrisa Njie, Executive Director for GYIN Gambia said the training was the second they have organised for youth, noting that there should be continuous awareness to stop the flow of improper information.
“Acquiring media information literacy allows individuals to confidentially and critically evaluate any information, both online and offline,” he said.
Dr. Morolake Adekunle, Deen and Lecturer at the University of The Gambia (UTG) said it is known that information disorder is a real pandemic that is causing a lot of problem across the globe due to how fast it travels.
“People and nations are fighting each other because of information and all blames goes to the media; therefore people need to be literate in the way they use the media and how to relate to the information acquired because not all information you come across are from genuine or reliable sources,” she said.
Mariama Njie, a participant from West Coast Radio and representative of The Gambia Empowered Person with Physical Challenge Organization (GEPPCO) thanked GYIN Gambia for being considerate of their organisation. She added that the training will help process any information she comes across especially if it involves a physically challenged person.
“Often times our images are used for purposes that are not worthy because of how vulnerable we are and being ignorant of media information literacy. However, I do not see it as bad”, she added.
She promised to share knowledge gained within her organisation and region.
