Barclays Bank Ghana, part of Absa Group, has organised a two-day masterclass training on data journalism in Accra for Ghanaian journalists to enhance their capacity in reporting financial and business news.

The Absa Data Journalism Masterclass is focused on aiding journalists with skills and tools they can use to analyse data to better explain and provide context to news stories.

The training, which was in partnership with South Africa’s Rhodes University Department of Journalism and Media Studies, is aimed at building the capacity of journalists to report on financial matters more proficiently. Led by Dr. Peter Verweij, a world-renowned journalism trainer and academic, the masterclass training targeted 20 journalists including editors and senior business and financial reporters from various media outlets across the country.

Opening the session, Mr. Ebo Richardson, Change Enablement Lead in charge of Transformation and Technology at Barclays Bank Ghana, noted that the Absa Data Journalism Masterclass is designed to empower journalists to report better on financial information that is used by individuals and corporate organisations to make critical decisions on a daily basis.

“Financial journalism is very important because it enables ordinary people to make sense of what is happening in the economy, take considered decisions and plan effectively. The Data Journalism Masterclass provides business journalists with a high-level refresher course on how to effectively report on complex financial matters and make it meaningful to the public” Mr Richardson noted.

“This is part of our shared value approach which underpins the way we do business and how we contribute to the growth of society”.

In a presentation on the bank’s journey to Absa, Nana Essilfuah Boison, Marketing and Corporate Relations Director of Barclays Bank Ghana commended the media for supporting the bank over the years and pledged the bank’s renewed commitment to building stronger partnerships with the media as the bank rebrands to Absa.

“As an organisation, we believe in bringing possibilities to life. We are here to help fulfil the ambitions of our customers, communities and stakeholders such as the media. As we get ready to welcome Absa, our exciting new brand, we will continue to build strong partnerships to make this a reality,” Nana Essilfuah Boison said.

Speaking on behalf of his colleague journalists, Samuel Appau Aheng of Angel FM, Kumasi thanked Barclays, now part of the Absa family, for giving them such an opportunity to improve their skills in data journalism. “We are grateful for this opportunity and we are very hopeful this data journalism masterclass will have a positive impact on our work as journalists towards managing and reporting on data.”

Since the programme’s inception, 9 Ghanaian journalists have had the opportunity to attend the Masterclass at Rhodes University in South Africa. The Absa Data Journalism Masterclass is accredited by Rhodes University as a short course and participants received certificates after the training programme.