Ethiopia to establish Media Center of Excellence

Addis Ababa, October 15, 2020 (FBC)) –The Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority (EBA) announced a plan to establish a Media Center of Excellence to enhance the professional capacity of journalists and the media industry in the country by providing state-of-the-art training courses.

Speaking to ENA, Wondwosen Andualem, EBA Deputy Director-General said the proposal to establish the media center of excellence is prepared in partnership with Ethiopian media professionals and experts from Aljazeera Media Network.

According to the deputy general director, the current graduates from various universities in the country largely lack practical skills of journalism as the courses don’t accommodate the adequate practical training that is critically important to the profession.

The center, which is expected to be fully operational after three and half years, is believed to narrow the existing gaps in terms of professional skill, ethical principles, and other limitations being observed in the media industry, he pointed out.

The center of excellence is aimed at strengthening the media industry in Ethiopia particularly journalistic professionalism through series of practical on-the-job training in order to help the sector properly play its key role in the nation-building process, he added.

According to the deputy director-general, the authority has currently been identifying places appropriate for the establishment of the center.

The center will be equipped with the necessary equipment and infrastructure vital to adequately render the courses to both local and international media professionals, he underscored.

The governments of Ethiopia and Qatar will fund the construction of the center, it was learned.