By Martha Nyam

The International Media and Society (IMS) has trained 30 women journalists on digital multimedia skills ahead of the 2023 general elections.

IMS Executive Director Akin Akingbulu said that the training, which was in partnership and funded by the EU, was to enable more women participate in 2023 general elections.

He said the EU programme tagged EU-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) was to also foster a functioning pluralistic, inclusive, participatory and representative democracy in the country.

“We have gathered here to educate on a very important subject, to train women journalists on building digital multimedia skills to help build, strengthen and help them participate better in the electoral process.

“The training is for women in the northern states of the country as well as also seeks to advance the career of women and spur interactive multimedia reporting.

“It is also to advance the careers of women journalists, spur interactive, multimedia reporting that highlights the importance of women in the electoral process and bolster storytelling with new data journalism skills and other digital tools.

“This is to also enable the journalists to harness social media to better engage with citizens and create a rapport with their audiences,” he said.

Akingbulu regretted that women journalists had not accessed the appropriate level in the covering of the electoral process which he said was a limiting factor in their participation in the coverage of elections.

He said a baseline study was carried out in 36 states including the FCT on women journalists’ digital skills and the analysis revealed on how to proceed with the capacity building programme to address the needs of women journalists at various levels.

He said that in order to improve professionalism, deepen civic and voter education, strengthen inclusivity, women journalist’s skills needed to be updated regularly.

Akingbulu added that participatory electoral processes reinforce democracy hence the support of the EU-SDGN support which aims to have a fair and inclusive coverage of the electoral process.

On her part, the National President, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs Ladi Bala, said that it was important for women to stand out and be able to compete with their male counterparts.

Bala appreciated the EU and IMS for their commitment and building the capacity of not just women but journalists and media institutions which she said had helped change the narrative.

She urged the participants to take advantage of the opportunity to improve themselves, adding that women needed to change the electoral landscape by effective participation.

She stressed that only women could champion the cause of gender inclusion effectively, noting that they had multiple roles to play in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

A participant, Miss Rahila Lassa, thanked the IMS and the EU for the opportunity, promising to put in the skills learned in her career and the coverage of the general elections.