Journalists, due to their role as information sharers, play a significant role in any country’s policy space. In recognition of this fact, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) organized a policy communications training for 23 journalists (21 male, 2 female) in Cross River State on 17 and 18 May 2018.
The training was aimed at exposing journalists to concepts related to policy communications, as well as introducing them to tools and sources of information relevant to agricultural policy in Nigeria.
According to Ms. Eme Offiong, one of the participants at the training, “The most useful part of the training course was the [module] on policy communication. This training course allowed me to practically prepare a story plan, which can be applied to future reports.”
IFPRI has carried out similar training courses for journalists in Ebonyi, Kaduna, and Kebbi states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The training is one of the activities of the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Nigeria) and jointly implemented by IFPRI’s Nigeria Strategy Support Program and Michigan State University.