BANJUL, Sept 22 (The African Portal) – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Monday launched a two-day workshop in Banjul to train Gambian journalists on tackling misinformation, disinformation and anti-democratic narratives.
The programme, organised by ECOWAS’s Directorate of Communication in partnership with Germany, aims to strengthen media and information literacy by helping reporters identify misinformation networks, improve conflict-sensitive reporting and promote good governance.
ECOWAS Resident Representative in The Gambia Miatta Lily French, speaking on behalf of ECOWAS President Omar Alieu Touray, said the bloc remained committed to supporting member states and journalists to ensure accuracy and integrity in the region’s information space.
Barbara Kirsch, representing Germany’s development ministry, said Berlin shared ECOWAS’s vision of a stable region with independent media at its core.
ECOWAS Bloc
Considered one of the pillars of the African Economic Community, ECOWAS was set up to foster the ideal of collective self-sufficiency for its member states. As a trading union, it is also meant to create a single, large trading bloc through economic cooperation.
The aim of the Community is to promote cooperation and integration, leading to the establishment of an economic union in West Africa in order to raise the living standards of its peoples, and to maintain and enhance economic stability, foster relations-among Member States and contribute to the progress and development of the African continent.
