Sanlam sponsors journalism training

Dar es Salaam. Sanlam Insurance Tanzania has sponsored a journalist working with The Citizen newspaper, Ms Naomi William to attend financial journalism training in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dubbed, “Sanlam Summer School for Financial Journalism,’ the training seeks to support improving corporate governance and was established in response to the King II Report on Corporate Governance in 2003.

The King Report on Corporate Governance, called on the private sector to assist in training financial journalists to develop investigative journalism skills to support improving corporate governance in South Africa.

“Over the years, the summer school has become a key calendar event in financial journalism in Africa. Since 2013, Sanlam extended the invitation to journalists from other regions in Africa to attend the programme through a sponsorship from the group’s business partners in the countries where Sanlam currently has a presence,” the company said in a statement.

This is the second time a journalist from The Citizen newspaper is participating in the training under Sanlam Tanzania sponsorship. Previous sessions have attracted journalists from Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.

The week-long course is conducted by various expert trainers and features talks by senior journalists and other media industry players who deliver insightful lectures in the evening sessions of the programme.

The programme is facilitated by lead trainer, Paula Fray of frayintermedia, who focuses on honing the writing skills of the delegates.

A module on reading and understanding financial statements for news reporting is offered by the Johannesburg School of Finance, including a simulation exercise which enhances the delegates’ understanding of the accounting concepts.

The participants in the training will also have an opportunity to attend a half-a-day numerical literacy course for business journalists aimed at enhancing their understanding of the figures they have to interpret and analyse for the benefit of their readers, and therefore add value to their numeracy skills delivered by the expert in the field.

Speaking after receiving her ticket, Naomi William said she was excited to join the programme and thanked Sanlam for seeing the need to invest in the training of journalists in the country.

Commenting about the training, Sanlam head of marketing and business development Killian Nango said; “Sanlam believes corporate governance is critical in business across the world and any financial journalist equipped with some of the skills offered during the programme, has the opportunity to enhance his/her career and present journalism of high quality.”

“The positive response from editors to the call for nominations of delegates from their newsrooms to attend the course, reaffirms that the training remains relevant and serves the intended purpose,” he added.