Today Safaricom and The Strathmore Business School launched the 2nd edition of the Safaricom Business Journalism Fellowship. The fellowship which is an eight month, mid-career program gives business journalists an opportunity to learn from some of Kenya’s top corporate news makers and leading business lecturers.
The course which is highly competitive will admit 15 of the most promising applicants who will go through three modules. The modules will require four days of intensive training. It will also include an experiential learning and mentoring programme. There will be half-day workshops spread over eight months and exclusive guest speaker dinner events. Journalists will get opportunities to network and learn from mentors and business leaders.
The fellowship programme focuses on financial reporting, and will this year cover topics including: economic analysis, business strategy and financial analysis, big data and cyber security. During the eight month duration of the programme the journalists will be expected to finish a 30-hour credit course before they can graduate. You can apply here.
Strathmore University Dean and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, Dr. George Njenga said that last year’s graduates showed depth and quality in their stories since they undertook the program.
Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said “It’s time for business journalists to challenge the notion that Kenyan audiences are more interested in politics than they are in the development of the economy and how it affects them. The just ended Global Entrepreneurship Summit is proof that audiences are interested in business news,” he said. “But to do this successfully journalists must be armed with an understanding of the business environment and how to cover business news.”
“The improvement in the quality of reporting exhibited by the first group of journalists to graduate from this programme is a clear indication of its success, and a sign that we are meeting our objective to equip talented, promising journalists with the analytical skills needed for the business desk,” added Mr. Collymore.
If you are interested in the programme you can get more information here.
