Africa-Press – Ghana. The Energy News Africa, in collaboration with the Tema Regional Branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has organised a maiden energy sector reporting workshop for journalists in Tema.
The workshop was on the theme “Leveraging Social Media and AI for Accurate and Effective Energy Reporting: Trends, Tools, and Best Practice.”
Pastor Michael Creg Afful, the Executive Director of Energy News Africa, said it was important that journalists get an understanding of the sector to be able to report accurately and inform public discussions.
Pastor Afful added that the energy reporting workshop could pave the way for journalists to strategically convey the right information to people, stating, “Unfortunately, many times, we lay blame on ECG because ECG is the most known electricity source, and this is not often the right thing.”
Mr Michael Dewornu, Tema Regional Chairman of the GJA, applauded the journalists for participating in the workshop and urged them to apply the knowledge acquired to their reportage.
Mr Jabesh Amissah-Arthur, an Engineer and managing partner of Arthur Energy Africa, chairing the workshop, said it is sometimes painful when they sit back as energy experts and listen to people discuss energy issues in the media as they mix up the issues.
Mr Amissah-Arthur, who is also the Board Chairman for the Volta River Authority, said Ghana’s energy sector was a vital component of the country’s economy, adding that the media was the stream of information; therefore, information channelled on the sector in the media must be accurate to promote transparency and drive sustainable development.
Mr Charles Wundengba, the Chief Executive Officer of Wundef Media at Obuasi, speaking on the theme, gave available statistics on social media usage and the use of AI tools by journalists and media houses to enhance their work.
He urged the media to make good use of AI and social media to market their work and make money, explaining that people would gladly watch a 30-second video several times rather than reading or watching the full news on television.
He further acknowledged that AI and its use in media have come to stay; hence, the need for journalists to keep abreast of its use and alternatives rather than disassociating themselves since losing creative skill, though AI might have some negative effects on the job.
Mr Edmond Kombat, the Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), gave an overview of the refinery’s operations, outlining some gains this year and plans to revamp it to full operations.
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