The chairman of the board of directors of Beakanyang organisation has described journalists as critical stakeholders in climate change message dissemination and communication.
Mr. Omar Malmo Sambou, (PhD candidate), and climate change expert made the remarks recently at the just concluded three-day capacity building training on climate change reporting for about 30 journalists in Basse, URR.
The training was organised by Beakanyang through its Environment Unit of their Field Office in Basse.
He expressed appreciation to the trainers and the Netherlands Embassy in Senegal for making the training possible.
He added: “Environmental issues are quite essential and for me; they are human rights issues. When a society lacks food, potable water and other basic life essentials that are driven by climate change and its impact; that is really considered as a human rights issue.”
Mr. Sambou encouraged participants to put the skills and knowledge acquired from the training into good use by helping to disseminate and effectively communicate climate change related happenings in the region and beyond.
On his part, the governor of URR, Mr. Samba Bah hailed Beakanyang for building the capacity of reporters in the region.
He lamented that the issues of climate change are under reported in the region while hoping that henceforth there will be more coverage on climate change.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Nfamara Jawneh, Executive Director of Beakanyang reaffirmed his organisation’s commitment to empowering journalists for effective climate change message dissemination.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
“The challenges we are facing today as a result of climate change which are numerous; and according to experts, concerted efforts are needed to mitigate the impact,” he said.
“On our part, since 2013, we have been working with communities across this region to mitigate the effects of climate change. Thanks to the effective coordination of our Environment Unit, over the years, we have established woodlot gardens, provided women with startup capitals to support their small-scale businesses, planted hundreds of trees and raised awareness on the impact of climate on vulnerable communities among others,” he revealed.
Mr. Alasana Camara, president of URR Journalists Association, also commended Beakanyang for building the capacity of their members.
According to him, building the capacities of journalists will help them ensure the dissemination of relevant and timely climate related information.
