BBG provides media training to reporters in Nile river basin
Twenty-three journalists from 11 countries in the Nile Basin participated in a week long training on reporting environmental stories and learning more about how the Nile River connects their countries. During the training, which was organized by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, participants toured resource management facilities, spoke with experts and developed new story ideas.
“Nile water is going to be a major center of conflict,” said Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye during an interview with the group. “If we are talking about developing agriculture to a commercial level, we hope to draw more water from the Nile that could spark off conflicts with countries in the North,” he said.
Other speakers came from the Nile Basin Initiative, a regional inter-governmental initiative dedicated to managing water-related resources in the Nile Basin. The journalists also visited the Bujagali Dam in Jinja, Uganda, and toured Lake Victoria, the large lake that feeds by the Nile.
Afterwards, participants researched and reported on issues such as the impact of development and population increases on the Nile, agricultural development and the effects of dam construction on downstream countries like Egypt.
The journalists said the training gave them a new appreciation for how the Nile tied them together, and they created a Nile Basin Media Facebook group to stay connected.
Funding for the training was made available by the U.S. State Department. The Nile Basin Initiative also partnered in the training.