CJID holds 52nd Campus Reporter Clinic in Ghana, trains students in digital journalism

By Pearl Asante and Regina Kevi

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has trained students from tertiary institutions across Ghana in investigative reporting, data journalism, fact-checking, multimedia storytelling and journalism ethics.

The two-day Campus Reporter Clinic, held from 21 to 22 July 2026 at the American Corner, Agbogba, Accra, brought together journalism students and undergraduates from other disciplines interested in campus journalism.

The training, in partnership with UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), was aimed at equipping participants with practical reporting skills needed to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving digital media landscape.

It is also Campus Reporter’s 52nd training organised on campuses in Nigeria, Ghana, and The Gambia as part of CJID’s efforts to strengthen campus journalism and nurture a new generation of ethical, innovative and digitally skilled journalists equipped to meet the demands of modern news reporting.

Speaking after the programme, CJID’s Chief Executive Officer, Dapo Olorunyomi, said the initiative was designed to bridge the digital skills gap in African newsrooms by investing in the next generation of journalists.

“It became necessary to invest in people who will be newsroom leaders for the future,” Mr Olorunyomi said. 

“To deal with today’s challenges, journalists need skills such as data journalism, verification, fact-checking and solutions journalism.”

The clinic featured hands-on sessions on campus journalism, investigative reporting, journalism ethics, inclusive reporting, data journalism, multimedia communication, narrative journalism, human-centred reporting and fact-checking.

Facilitators included Manager of the Independent Journalism Project for West Africa, Kwaku Krobea Asante; the Dean of the School of Communication and Information Studies at the University of Ghana, Professor Abena Yeboah Banin; Head of Research at Multimedia Group Limited, Isaac Kofi-Adjei; Editor at DUBAWA Ghana, Nathan Gadugah; CJID’s Media Technology and Communication Officer, Gbolahan Ogunsolu; and an academic researcher and LSE Fellow, Solomon Katachie.

Participants also worked in groups to develop and pitch story ideas, applying the reporting and storytelling techniques they had learned during the sessions.

Mr Katachie commended the participants for their enthusiasm and the quality of their work.

“I was very impressed by the quality of the students selected for the workshop. The work they produced in such a short period was outstanding, especially considering that many of them are not journalism students,” he said.

He urged aspiring journalists to remain curious, diligent and confident in their ability to engage with people.

“If you want to be a journalist, be curious. Be diligent, and trust your instincts and your ability to connect with people,” he said.

One of the participants, Gifty Dadzie, a Level 300 Journalism student at the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), described the training as transformative.

“We were taught data journalism, fact-checking, ethics and everything needed to become a professional journalist. My expectations were exceeded, and the facilitators freely shared their knowledge throughout the programme,” Ms Dadzie said.

Mr Olorunyomi also praised the participants’ performance, describing the standard of their work as impressive and expressing confidence in the future of journalism in Ghana and across West Africa.

“Standards are so high. We are very, very impressed,” he said, adding that Ghana has the potential to continue setting a strong example for journalism and democratic development on the continent.