Activist and author, Chido Onumah, will deliver the keynote address at the 2017 symposium on media and information literacy at the University of Ghana, Legon.
The symposium, to be held on August 31, 2017, is being put together by the School of Information and Communication Studies of the university in conjunction with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Mr. Onumah, who is the coordinator of the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), is a reputed expert on media and information literacy in Africa, and is the Co-Chair of the Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy (GAPMIL).
According to organisers of the symposium, the event is targeted at “key stakeholders who may be interested in spearheading media and information literacy efforts across various sectors in the country”.
In a letter addressed to Mr. Onumah and signed by the Dean of the School of Information and Communication Studies, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, the institution expects the address by Mr. Onumah and contributions from other experts to provide insight on “what needs to be done to build a media and information literate society”.
Other expected outcomes include, “building a coalition around media and information literacy, mainstreaming media and information literacy into educational curricula across all levels, addressing gaps in training of media, information and communication professional, and stimulating scholarly interest in media and information literacy issues”.
The event will also be addressed by Ghanaian Ministers of Information and Education, Prof. Mustapha Hamid, and Hon. Mathew Opoku-Prempeh, respectively.
The symposium, billed to hold at Legon Centre for International Affairs, will be chaired by the Director General of Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwah.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ebenezer Owusu, and Ghana Country Director of UNESCO, Mr. Tirso Dos Santos, are also slated to address the gathering.