Kenya: African journalists boost digital financial payment systems reporting skills.

It grouped 18 journalists and editors from 12 African countries, alongside three communications officers from the African Union, AU.

The journalists were drawn from Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon. Four of the journalists are from Kenya, three from Nigeria and two from Ghana.

Participants examined how inclusive instant payment systems work and how journalists can interpret payment data to identify evidence-based story angles. 

The sessions covered access, affordability, interoperability, consumer protection, fraud and financial inclusion. Resource persons said the training will help reporters translate technical concepts into stories that show what digital payments mean for ordinary consumers, including women, traders, rural communities and other underserved groups.

Addressing participants at the start of the media training, AfricaNenda Foundation Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Sabine F. Mensah, said it is an opportunity for journalists and the Foundation to identify issues requiring greater media attention. 

She added that the media could also help bring consumer experiences into discussions about Africa's expanding digital financial ecosystem. “We really appreciate the opportunity to share with you the work that we are doing, and to also see with you what are some of the topics we should be covering more as we are doing research in this space, instant payment systems,” Mensah noted.

She added that: “We can leverage the media as an anchor to amplify what is happening in the digital financial ecosystem, to be the voice of the consumers that we don't see every day, but who need to be represented in the ecosystem”.

Participants share reporting priorities

Journalists who attended the training said they are looking to translate the technical knowledge gained into clearer reporting on digital payments and financial inclusion. 

They said areas of interest range from consumer trust and data interpretation to interoperability, financial inclusion and cross-border payments.

Lucy Nambela, News Editor at Capital FM Zambia, said she came to the training, seeking a deeper understanding of inclusive instant payment systems and how they work. 

According to her, the knowledge gained would help her break down technical terminology and relate payment systems to the experiences of ordinary people.

“When I go back to Zambia, I should be able to explain to people and get to hear some of the challenges they face when transacting. Inclusivity is not just about accessibility to financial systems, but being able to bring everyone on board, not leaving anyone behind,” Nambela said.

Ray Munene of Techweez in Kenya, said he expects the training to deepen his understanding of financial-sector terminology and how money can move between different payment systems and markets.

“I expect to learn more about the methodologies used in terms of how finances are moving, not simply from one person to another or one market to another, but from one system to a totally different system. I also expect to learn more about how to better talk about the state of payments in Africa,” Munene stated.

On her part, Duduzile Ramela, a journalist with Moneyweb in South Africa, was focused on how knowledge gained from the training can be passed on to audiences, particularly consumers who may have concerns about adopting digital payment technologies.

“There is a lot of information that we do not know, and this will help us to actually give light to the people that need it and interact with payments a lot. There is a trust issue, especially where I come from, where people may adopt these technologies, but they are also wary because of hidden charges,” Ramela said.

Isaac Kofi Agyei, a data journalist with JoyNews in Ghana, explained that the technical and data-driven sessions have provided opportunities to examine payment systems using evidence and compare perspectives with journalists from other countries.

“We've had interesting sessions and the training has been very practical. It shows how, if journalists collaborate, we will be able to reach a better or more accurate conclusion,” Agyei said.

The media training was preceded on October 5 by a high-level dialogue on regulatory harmonisation for seamless digital payments. The dialogue examined efforts to move African payment systems from fragmentation towards greater integration.

By Mercy Fosoh in Nairobi, Kenya