The Gambia Press Union (GPU) on Tuesday concluded a two-day training for 25 Community Radio Journalists on Open-source Investigations and Use of the Access to Information law to Promote Transparency and Accountability.
The training for the community radios, held from 24-25 February in Soma, Lower River Region, brings the total number of journalists trained to 100, after 75 journalists from newspapers, radio, television and online media platforms were trained in Bakau in December 2024.
The training workshops forms part of activities under a two-year project meant to “Strengthen Public Access to Information and Media Professionalism in The Gambia” implemented by the GPU with funding from the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF).
“These training workshops are meant to build the capacity of journalists on the use of access to information law as a tool for investigative reporting and promoting transparency and accountability, particularly at local government level,” GPU Secretary General, Modou S. Joof, said.
According to Joof, this training, organised in collaboration with the Network of Community Radios (NCRG-The Gambia), like the three other workshops held last year, is aimed at achieving the following:
- 100 journalists acquire knowledge and skills on open-source investigative journalism
- Improved journalists’ knowledge and skills on use of the access to information law as a tool for investigative journalism, and to promote accountability and transparency
The Access to Information Act, 2021, provides an enforceable right for everyone to access public information or official documents held by public officials and institutions. The GPU is supporting the implementation of seeks to support this process by providing training to journalists on the use of the ATI for investigative reporting & ensuring transparency in governance.
Sainey Dibba, the Board Chairperson of the NCRG, said that training Community Radio Journalists on how to utilise the access to information law and building their capacity on open-source investigation is very important initiative.
“We (the NCRG) recognise the significance of this training as it is intended to improve our reporting skills and strengthen our fundamental role in informing and educating grassroots communities and also improving transparency and accountability in our local government administrative regions,” Dibba said.
I would like to commend the GPU and its partner, UNDEF, for collaborating with the NCRG to improve the knowledge and skills of community radio broadcasters,” he said. “The role of the community radio is very crucial to our governance, and it is therefore important that we promote good governance by utilising the acces to information law.”
Reporting grant
The workshops will be followed by small-incentive grants for the participants to produce 25 in-depth news stories or host current affairs programmes using information obtained through access to information requests and proactively disclosed public information.
The grant will provide an opportunity to the journalists who benefitted from these workshops to test the law, and to guage the government’s responsiveness and committment to the implementation of the law.
