The Media Integrity Initiative Africa (MIIA) has successfully concluded its April 2025 Training Series, the first in its quarterly capacity-building calendar for the year.
With over 190 initial registrations and 150 participants admitted into the official MIIA 2025 WhatsApp
group, the training lived up to its billing as a transformative learning experience for emerging and practising media professionals.
Held virtually over two Saturdays – 12 and 19 April 2025 – the sessions covered essential themes for 21st century media workers, led by highly respected industry veterans.
On Day 1 (Saturday, 12 April 2025), former Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Publishing Limited, Dr. Tony Onyima handled “Writing for Digital Media”, while former editor at The PUNCH, Mr. Alex Ogundadegbe engaged the participants in “Crisis Communication and Management”.
On Day 2 (Saturday, 19 April 2025), seasoned broadcaster, Mr. Tokunbo Ojekunle taught “The Art of Effective Presentation”, while veteran photojournalist and Deputy Provost at Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Dr. Adeboye Ola treated “Photography: The Critical Minimum”.
The sessions were described by participants as ‘insightful’, ‘engaging’, ‘game-changing’, and ‘wholesome’. They expressed gratitude for the depth of knowledge shared and the calibre of facilitators.
‘MIIA April 2025 Cohorts exceeded expectations. Toks Ojekunle’s “Effective Communications” session was game-changing for me. Highly recommended’, Jolly Egbodo said.
Divinegrace Ogbodo said: ‘I especially enjoyed the “Crisis Communication and Management” session because as a student journalist looking to transition into PR, it was wholesome. I look forward to more cohorts’.
According to Tope Orororo, ‘Dr. Adeboye Ola brought the essence of photography to life. His session was very relatable. Truly, pictures speak’!
‘The inaugural training programme has been very beneficial and impactful. Kudos to the MIIA team for a job well done’, Afolabi Faramade recalled.
Olalekan Olagunju of Crawford University said: ‘Thanks so much for the opportunity afforded us to hone our academic and professional competences. The training was very expertise driven and insightful’.
‘The MIIA Cohorts is now a class of shared ideals. What we learnt – you cannot get at Harvard or Stanford. My eternal gratitude for this great opportunity’, said Adamu Ayuba from Bauchi.
According to Johnmac Chidiebere Clement, ‘receiving the Certificate of Participation is more than just a recognition – it’s a reminder of the importance of continuous learning and the role we each have to play in strengthening media integrity across Africa’.
‘I must confess the training was informative and educative. I learnt a lot and I am truly grateful for this wonderful opportunity’, Amos Mcroy Osifo said.
Participants from across the country have called for more engagement, with some recommending advanced modules, hands-on sessions, and even tokenised participation fees to support future trainings.
The initiative’s commitment to freely accessible, world-class training remains firm. As shared by MIIA Coordinator, Mr. Femi Akintunde-Johnson: ‘We are deeply inspired by the overwhelming response to the inaugural training. MIIA is not just a project, it’s a movement towards media excellence, accountability, and transformation across Africa’.
The next training series is tentatively scheduled for July 2025, with registration opening in June.
MIIA encourages interested media workers, students, and communication professionals to stay connected via the official channels.
Enquiries and collaboration on MIIA are to be directed to: mediaintegrityiafrica@gmail.com, +2348033150547 (WhatsApp only), and https://bsacademy2000.wixsite.com/miia
