News
Women encouraged to gain technical knowledge in media work
The Creative Director and Founder of Cedar Femme (CeFem) Media, Regina Odigie-Olatayo, has urged women in the media to gain technical knowledge in the field.
She said women who acquire technical knowledge within the media landscape have the opportunity of securing better jobs while embarking on entrepreneurial ventures in the media industry.
She said this at the maiden edition of the (CeFeM) Media Skills for HER Initiative held in Accra last week Friday.
The programme is a free training workshop aimed at empowering young women in Africa with essential media production skills.
The programme is focused on addressing the gender gap in Africa’s media industry by providing hands-on training in smartphone media production, filmmaking, digital marketing, video production, photography, lighting, sound production, business of media, communication, and drone piloting.
It is also designed to foster digital literacy, economic independence, and gender equality through practical experience.
Ms Odigie-Olatayo identified a significant gap in operational media skills among women, saying many women were unaware of the opportunities available behind the scenes.
She stated that her own challenges in media production motivated her to create this initiative to empower more women to venture into operational media roles.
“The Media Skills for HER Initiative is not just a workshop but a movement to open women’s minds to the vast opportunities in media.
“Women have long been relegated to limited roles in front of the camera, but this initiative aims to change that by highlighting the numerous possibilities behind the camera,” Mrs Odigie-Olatayo added.
Ms Odigie-Olatayo stated that these skills could lead to economic independence and entrepreneurial ventures, enabling women to produce their own content, create films, and build media businesses.
Touching on the programme, Ms Odigie-Olatayo said the comprehensive curriculum ensures participants gain confidence and competence to enter and excel in the media industry.
She said due to the success of the workshop, it would be held bi-monthly, in an attempt to reach more young women across the country and other African countries, saying the programme had attracted participants from beyond Ghana.
“The workshop’s success has prompted plans to hold it bimonthly, expanding its reach to more young women across Ghana and other African countries because it also attracted participants from beyond Ghana, making it a Pan-African event,” she said.
Ms Odigie-Olatayo therefore called for support from individuals and corporate organisations to sustain and expand the programme.
By Raissa Sambou
Member of Parliament for Kpandai constituency, Matthew Nyindam, has argued that he would have defeated the National Democratic Congress candidate if a rerun election had been held, insisting that his loss was a battle against the power of the state rather than a fair contest.
Nyindam explained that his legal challenge to the 2024 parliamentary election was based on irregularities in four polling stations.
He noted that his team expected the court to address those specific concerns, not to order a fresh election across the entire constituency.
According to him, the decision to rerun the election confirmed what he described as a long standing pattern of unfair conduct by the NDC in Kpandai.
He added that he anticipated the chance to appeal the ruling but was surprised when Parliament later declared his seat vacant.
Nyindam stressed that the declaration of the seat left him feeling unfairly treated.
He maintained that he won the election clearly and believed the process that followed was aimed at removing him from Parliament prematurely.
He further stated that the situation turned into a contest between himself and the state.
He explained that running against the full weight of government made the election difficult, as ministers, MPs, chief executives and other officials were actively involved in campaigning, with resources flowing into the constituency.
Despite these challenges, Nyindam expressed confidence in his political strength, stating that under normal circumstances he would have beaten his opponent comfortably.
He added that he ultimately left the outcome in the hands of God, believing that destiny would determine whether he returned to Parliament.
Nyindam concluded that although the experience was painful, he believes it will serve a greater purpose in his political journey.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Chairman Wontumi, has admitted that the party did not achieve its desired results in the Ashanti Region during the 2024 general election but maintained that the region remained the party’s strongest support base.
Addressing the media after a post election review, Wontumi said the party quickly set up a regional committee to investigate the reasons for the loss and to propose solutions.
He explained that a subcommittee was tasked to study what went wrong and recommend ways to improve future performance.
According to him, the committee’s report highlighted both the party’s mistakes and areas that need improvement.
He noted that the party has taken lessons from the findings and is ready to make changes.
Wontumi stressed that he learns quickly and is committed to applying the recommendations.
He emphasized that despite not meeting expectations, votes from the Ashanti Region significantly contributed to the party’s overall national performance.
He explained that the region pushed the party to the final figures it recorded in the 2024 election and still produced more votes than any other region.
Wontumi added that a post mortem of the results would show that the Ashanti Region performed better than others, even though the party fell short of its target.
He described the region’s effort as commendable.
He said the party now understands what voters in the Ashanti Region expect and assured them that the NPP will engage them better and work to meet their needs in future elections.
By: Jacob Aggrey
