Senior Nigerian journalist and Director of News at Arise News, Sumner Shagari Sambo, has participated in a regional media capacity-building programme in Accra, Ghana, focused on strengthening editorial understanding of geopolitics, foreign influence, and democratic resilience in West Africa.
The training, organised as part of the CDD-Ghana International Desk Regional Media initiative, brought together editors, journalists, and senior media practitioners from across the region to deepen reporting capacity on complex political and security dynamics affecting the sub-region.
The programme featured opening remarks by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, Executive Director of the CDD-Ghana, alongside a goodwill message from Paul Osei Kuffour, Network Coordinator of the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network.
A keynote address was delivered by Professor Kwame Karikari, former Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, who highlighted the growing challenges posed by disinformation, digital manipulation, and information warfare across West Africa’s evolving media landscape.
Discussions at the training focused heavily on the impact of technology on journalism, the rise of coordinated disinformation campaigns, and the broader implications of geopolitical competition in Africa. Participants noted that increasing global rivalry, shifting alliances, and resource pressures are making the continent a key arena in international power dynamics.
Sambo described the engagement as timely, stressing that journalists must adapt to a rapidly changing information environment in order to strengthen democratic accountability and improve public understanding of global and regional developments.
The programme is part of broader efforts to equip West African media professionals with the tools needed to navigate an increasingly complex and contested information space.