ATHENS – The Financial Journalism Training program from Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, which helps journalists build capacity to do the sort of financial reporting that can promote accountability and sound governance, has expanded into francophone West Africa.

More than 100 mid-career professionals from media, civil society, business, and governmental organizations met in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and Dakar, Senegal, for the launch of the program last week. They will meet in person another 23 times over the next eight months for interactive daylong sessions.

These new participants join 800 graduates from 16 countries who have taken part in Financial Journalism Training program workshops in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia since 2014. Designed in collaboration with faculty at respected local universities, the program helps boost familiarity with capital markets, public policy, and economics and build skills in data analysis, accounting, and journalism.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) has supported the Financial Journalism Training program since 2018.

“As we offer the program in French for the first time,” said Erana Stennnett, Head of Bloomberg Corporate Philanthropy in the Africa & Middle East and Director of Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, “we hope this new cohort of journalists and executives lead the way in shaping the future of robust business and financial journalism in francophone Africa.”

Source: SNF