May 30, 2022 (NAIROBI, Kenya): The intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in collaboration with ECOFISH Programme convenes a Media Advocacy Training and a Journalists Training in parallel from May 30 to June 1 in Nairobi to promote Blue Economy in the region.
The training workshop directed towards the officers in charge of Blue Economy at IGAD member states is to build the capacities of the beneficiaries in communication and media advocacy to promote sustainable practices.
Strengthening the role of focal points for media advocacy would enhance their effectiveness in lobbying for the implementation and monitoring of reformed and harmonised policies in the BE sector at national and regional levels. Their experience and understanding in handling the BE sector issues make them more capable in articulating the stakeholders’ interests in improving national and regional frameworks for sustainable management in the sector.
Through a learner-centred and practice-oriented approach, participants embarked in a three-day learning journey to develop the required skills through innovative and inspiring activities and interact with the relevant stakeholders and the media.
The activity is to achieve:
- Increased visibility: The programme outcomes and benefits derived from its implementation in the IGAD countries will be better understood, reach a wider audience
- Appropriation of the results: Willingness and action to see the results applied in practice, in policy, etc. Also, strengthening the stakeholders’ focal points position in their institution and country.
- Capacity building: Focal points and beneficiaries improve their capacity to campaigning, and promoting the BE and develop useful means to influence decision-making processes,
- Advocacy: focal points and beneficiaries engage stakeholders/governments to take concrete steps or commitments in the direction of implementation of targets for each country.
Participants will leave this course connected to a regional network of experts and practitioners involved in the BE sector throughout the region, which will offer them the opportunity to exchange regularly on this topic even after its conclusion.
The training is expected to achieve the following:
- Focal Points for BE have a better knowledge of media management techniques
- A network of communicators has been created
- Link established between representatives of the regional press and the network of communicators
- Strengthened focal points capacities in identifying, understanding and applying media strategies to advocate for suitable BE policies
The other component for this activity consists in the Journalists Training and experience exchange whose major goal is to create a regional network of journalists that will be promoting sustainable BE in their countries by empowering participants with knowledge on the economic, environmental, and nutritional importance and value of the BE.
One of the outcomes of the training will be the establishment of a Regional ‘Blue Economy Journalists Network’ whose terms of reference will include:
- Sensitising, informing, and empowering the general public, direct actors and decision makers about the importance of the BE sector in the region
- Encouraging the general public, direct actors and decision makers to be guided by clear understanding of the sector in their decision-making and practices
- Advocating for and disseminating best practices in the sector
- Sharing information, data and case studies on the BE sector in the region
By the end of the training workshop, participants are expected to specifically
- Gain comprehensive knowledge about the BE industry, its nutritional, economic and environmental potential.
- Understand the role of journalists and the media in the development of the BE sector (sensitization, information delivery, and advocacy)
- Learn strategies for better targeting messages to target publics (general public, fishers, and decision makers in the fisheries sector)
