MTN Ghana has organised a one-day training session for new and traditional media practitioners dubbed “The Bright Story Series”. The Bright Story Series is part of the company’s media development programmes which was instituted by the Corporate Communications department a few years ago.

The first of several media engagements anticipated for the year 2018 had about 60 individuals in attendance with three renowned facilitators leading the session; Prof Audrey Gadzekpo, Lloyd Evans and Prof. Ivor Agyeman Duah.

Speaking at the opening of the Bright Story Series, the Ag. Corporate Services Executive of MTN Ghana, Ms. Pala Ofori Asiedu, said, “MTN Ghana is committed to being a valuable learning partner to its stakeholders particularly those working with the media”.

Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, speaking on how to tell compelling stories, said “the lead makes the story, it has to be catchy and it has to be straightforward”. Professor Gadzekpo also said that interviewing other personalities would give a different side to telling the stories whiles enriching the content. She said there were so many stories that the media was missing and she provided tips on how they could follow up on stories and make it bigger to help address national needs.

On his part, Lloyd Evans, shed light on how to tease out stories from financial reports, he recommended that reporters could refer to their financial departments in instances where they need clarifications. He said, “these individuals understand the intricacies and details of financial data and as such they will help you condense the information as much as possible and help you be an efficient financial reporter”.

Mr Ivor Agyeman-Duah, a visiting Associate Professor and Director of the Wole Soyinka Foundation at the University of Johannesburg, reiterated the advice by Lloyd Evans saying “journalists should be willing to make connections with relevant people especially outside the circle of those in high positions as they would enrich the way the stories are told”.

Also present at the event was the Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, who commended MTN Ghana for creating such a platform and its continuous support for the media in Ghana with its various engagements.