Banjul, The Gambia – The Minister of Finance of The Gambia, Mambury Njie, and the Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ruby E. M. Randall, have both described the Journalism career as an indispensable tool for consolidating modern democracy and transforming society.
Report by Mae Azango, [email protected]
Both top officials made the statement on February 20,
“Journalism has a very pivotal role to play in our modern society beyond its traditional role of news dissemination. I must state without any fear of contradiction that if our aim as leaders and policy makers is to transform our societies, then, Journalism is a key tool to achieve this,” said Min. Njie.
He described Economic and Financial Reporters as “Effective liaison between economists and financial experts and policymakers, who he noted make economic policy decisions that affect the economic welfare of the people of their country.
In order for the ordinary people to understand the technicalities and jargons associated with economic and financial decisions, according to the Gambian Finance Minister, it is the responsibility of journalists to do and this makes them important people in the development of society and democratic governance.
“But this is an enormous responsibility; so, in recognizing the importance of your role, it is imperative that we further equip you for the job, and impart the skills and knowledge needed to get the job done well,” he further stated.
He said this step coincides with the responsibility of policymakers including him, having to provide journalists with knowledge and skills that are needed to be translated into everyday parlance for the common man.
He further added, “If we want citizens to adhere to and support the policies that we as policymakers are formulating, then, we must make sure that those policies are well articulated and explained to the citizens using simple terms that are easily understood by the public at large.”
According to him, the trend taken by the IMF is a way to collaborating with the Gambian Government to further capacitate the skills of Economic and Financial Journalists in a meaningful and impactful way.
Dr. Randall, who gave the opening statement and welcomed regional journalists, emphasized that the media’s role in driving the development agenda of any nation cannot be overemphasized, and that because the IMF is aware of this, it attaches serious importance to developing the capacity of journalists adding that specifically those journalists reporting financial issues to report with fairness and objectivity.
“The task is peculiar that it must not be taken lightly, and this is why we have called you together here in Banjul and invited our knowledgeable partners from the Thompson Reuters Foundation to share with you their experience,” she added.
She indicated that reporting financial issues is not only about budget or following money, but reporting about those activities that aid the generation of the money.
She identified three roles she said are cardinal responsibilities of a journalist: gatekeeper, scorekeeper and watchdog.
Participants for the seminar were drawn from the five English-speaking West African nations — The Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Liberia. They comprise mainly broadcast and print journalists with experience in reporting economic and financial matters.