USAID partners with Jet to train environmental journalists

Bagamoyo. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania (Jet) has provided a capacity building training to journalists on how to report news relating to environmental conservation and wildlife protection through Promoting Tanzania's Environment, Conservation, and Tourism Project (PROTECT).  

The training through a project dubbed Protect  which was conducted in Bagamoyo District on Monday, October, 29, 2018, involved 30 journalists from print, TV, radio and social networks.

The seminar was facilitated by various stakeholders including lecturers of various universities, veteran journalists and government representatives.

“With capacity building, journalists will be able to improve their knowledge and capacity to report effectively on environmental issues. This in turn will attract more tourists and investors,” Jet executive director John Chikomo said.

The move, he said, would enhance the attainment of the industrialisation status come 2020 and middle income country in 2025.

He added that it would also promote foreign currency due to expected flourishment of the tourism sector and increase in exportation.  

Mr Chikomo, said the decision by the USAID and Jet is part of the implementation of various international environmental agreements which Tanzania had signed.

He said after a six-month training to journalists, a –five year USAID ‘protect’ project would take the trainees to game reserves for them to learn more.

During the seminar, Tanzania Media Fund (TMF) representative Razia Mwawanga taught members of media, among other things, challenges that environmental and wildlife protection sector was grappling with.