The United States (US) Embassy through The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has embarked on a capacity building among journalists across the country on their role in conflict resolution peacebuilding ahead of the 2024 General elections.
This program is part of the U.S. strategy to prevent Conflict and promote stability which is a long-term U.S initiative to prevent violence and advance stability in areas of vulnerable conflict.
Rolf Olson, Charge D’Affaires at the US Embassy in Ghana speaking exclusively to Skyy News on the sidelines of the event noted that they want to equip media personnel with best practices in reporting and responding to conflicts.
According to him, internal conflicts such as Chieftaincy, land, and ethnic disputes have existed in various regions for different lengths of time and some of those causes often overlap.
Mr Oslon said their approach brings to bear the diplomatic, development, and security tools of the U.S. government in collaboration with partners for a more peaceful and prosperous region.
Hence, security concerns, like these, cannot be fully addressed through force alone. He said, “If we want lasting solutions, tackling the root causes of conflict is critical. That includes fact-based, ethical, and conflict-sensitive reporting, the reason they are investing to train journalists in the coastal West African sub-region, as well as several other countries around the world.”
Mr Olson told Skyy News what they tend to achieve is for journalists to be well prepared for work in their community and address conflicts in the best way possible.
“We are making this investment because we understand that journalists, just like public servants security forces, community leaders, and civil societies organisations have a role to play in peacebuilding, “Mr Olson said.
“Is not just about improving reporting on community issues. It’s also about using fact-based reporting to combat misinformation and disinformation.”
“Before the recent coups in the region, many analysts saw an uptick in disinformation in those countries that undermined democratically elected governments. Violent extremists use the same tactics to undermine faith in security forces and recruit new members with false promises,” he added.
