THERE WILL BE INK - Initiative for Policy Dialogue

• Macro-economic indicators – 63.2%• Online resources of economic information – 70%Chart 4: Number of Nigerian journalists ranking the above training topicsas “very helpful” to their careersThere were a number of topics respondents said were not covered in their trainings, further reflectingtopics which should be considered for future trainings:• Accounting – 52.6%• Economics of extractive industries – 47.4%• Corporate finance – 63.2%• Retail companies – 63.2%• New media/new technology – 65%There is also a pressing need to train journalists on development issues. As a developing country,Nigeria is closely involved with the programs and policies of international development institutionslike the World Bank and the IMF. However, business journalists in Nigeria have relatively littleaccess to training (save for programs like the IIJ’s) on how these institutions work towards povertyreduction, the politics that influence their policies, and how to analyze the implementation of theseprograms. Therefore, if journalists are going to monitor their development work and report back tothe public, it is vital that they receive trainings in this area.Training on Relating Economic Reporting to ReadershipCoverage of economics and business in Nigeria tends to be hard for average people to relate to. Thisdiscourages average people from being able to truly comprehend the causes and effects of theseindustries. Journalists should be encouraged to use less technical language – which they often usewithout understanding, but still wanting to appear knowledgeable to gain respect – and shouldexplain these terms in their reporting.– 76 –