Workshops on new digital frontiers of information hold at NOUN hqtrs

As part of activities to commemorate the Global Media and Information Literacy Day, two separate workshops aimed at emphasising the vital role of the concept in creating an informed and engaged society have been planned to hold at the headquarters of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja.

The two lectures have the same theme: “New Digital Frontiers of Information: Media and Information Literacy for Public Interest Information,”would on Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25, 2024 at the Conference Hall, NOUN headquarters, Abuja, by 10:00am.

The workshops were jointly organised by the Federal Ministry of Information, International Media and Information Literacy Institute of the National Open University of Nigeria, (IMILI-NOUN) and The United Nations Education and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO).

According to the Head, Mass Communication Department, NOUN, who is also the host, Dr. Lateef Adelakun, the thrust of the first-day workshop was to address the challenges of misinformation and promote strategies to verify and share accurate information, highlight the significance of media and information literacy in today’s digital age.

Community engagement through targeted campaigns in religious institutions and educational settings would also form part of the focus of the workshop, as organisers hope to encourage responsible media consumption and dissemination among all age groups, especially the youth.

Students of Mass Communication, Media and Communication Educators, members of the university community, were also the target of the workshop on the first day, he said.

Adelakun’s counterpart in the Nile University of Nigeria, Dr. Jacob Shagbaor Suemo, will feature as guest speaker, while the NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, will be the chief host of both events.

The second-day workshop is targeted at policy makers, communication professionals, Civil Society Organisations, students of Mass Communication, academics and members of the university community.

Mardia Umar, a broadcast journalist with Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Radio, Abuja, will feature as guest speaker, Adelakun explained.

The Global Media and Information Literacy Week is an annual event to raise awareness and celebrate the progress achieved towards Media and Information Literacy for all.