Kenyan CSO trains African journalists on climate adaptation reporting

Power Shift Africa (PSA), a Kenyan-based think tank, has organised a training for African journalists on climate adaptation and finance.

The two-day training held from July 29 to 30 in Mombasa, Kenya, had in attendance climate change negotiators, government officials, data experts, African civil society organisations (CSOs), and journalists.

Speaking during the training, Mohamed Adow, founder and director of PSA, emphasised the need to tell African-centered stories by journalists to shape a better narrative about the continent.

Adow said Africa contributes less than four percent of the global emissions, noting that it bears the brunt of the impact of climate change more than the global north.

He urged the historic polluters to decarbonise massively and fund climate adaptation in Africa.

“This is a continent that is less responsible for climate change, but it’s suffering first and worst from the impact of climate change,” Adow said.

“And so, we thought we could possibly help drive a conversation that is centred around African needs by getting African climate reporters and challenging them around the importance of telling the African story in a clear and compelling way.”

“We’re very pleased and hopeful that we’ll be able to reclaim the African narrative on climate change and be able to position ourselves in a way that we can no longer remain the victims, but effectively help own the narrative and help shape the discourse on terms that helps this continent meet its needs and privileges,” he added.

“And I think the challenge for Africa generally, is to tell the needs and priorities and elevate, particularly adaptation, and make a strong case for adaptation finance.”

Eugenia Kumi, a journalist from Ghana, said the training was a wake-up call to shift the focus from mitigation to climate adaptation and finance.

She thanked PSA for the opportunity while reiterating her resolve to advance the African climate adaptation narrative through her reportage.

“Having the training with Power Shift Africa, I must say that it’s been very educative. It’s just reinforced for me the need to focus more on adaptation issues because it looks like it is less reported on,” Kumi said.

“And obviously the finances also are not enough; there’s more that needs to be done from civil society organisations and particularly for journalists like myself.”

Nozintombi Miya, another participant and editor at South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC NEWS), described the training as an “informative one”.

“I found it extremely informative, and I found that they had all the correct experts, and it was extremely people who spoke from a position of knowledge and not just academic knowledge,” Miya said.