A Media Capacity building session opens in Nairobi, Kenya organised by the African Union International Center for Girls and Women’s Education in Africa (African Union CIEFFA). Scheduled to run from September 26 – 28, 2024, the meeting has brought together over 20 press men and women from continental, national, and local media houses. It aims at capacitating them on reporting on girls’ education and popularising the #AfricaEducatedHer Campaign. The meeting holds under the theme, "Leveraging media role in promoting inclusive, lifelong, inclusive and relevant learning for African girls and women through the #AfricaEducatesHer Campaign".
While opening the 3-day workshop, the Acting Coordinator of the African Union CIEFFA, Mrs. Simone Yankey, underpinned the crucial nature of the media in shaping minds and actions. “[…] today more than ever, the role of the media is central. The media shape public opinion, influence political decisions, and can be the driving force behind in-depth social change.”
Africa is faced with an acute crisis of inequality in (and through) education. The meeting therefore stands as part of the solution as it seeks to train and upskill media experts on reporting on gender equality in education whilst providing them with the necessary tools and concepts to fine-tune their reporting. “We are, without a doubt, fighting for a continent where every child, girl and boy, has access to quality education, not only for their which is essential for her personal fulfilment, for her contribution to the development of our societies…”, Mrs. Yankey affirmed.
This media capacity building is held weeks after the 1st AU Pan African Conference on Girls and Women’s Education took place in July. This meeting equally paves a way for the dissemination of the Call for Action and recommendations that proceeded from the Conference.
During the meeting, trainees will have a better grasp of the #AfricaEducatesHer Campaign and its objectives. The Campaign, running in its second phase, was born out of the collective will of many actors on the ground to push for more resilient education systems in African countries. It seeks to change the narrative, break the barriers, and open the doors of education to millions of girls across Africa, with the main objective of keeping them in school.
During three days, participants will be drilled on Key Concepts in Equality in Girls and Women’s Education, Data and Evidencing for Advocacy, Maximizing Social Media for Advocacy on Girls' Education, and Storytelling Tools for Girls’ Education.
The meeting is also attended by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (UNICEF ESARO) and the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA).
