Saham Life Insurance Ghana has sponsored a journalist from the B&FT, Lawrence Segbefia to attend this year’s Sanlam Summer School for Financial Journalists in South Africa.
The week-long course was conducted by various expert trainers and features talks by senior journalists and other media industry players who deliver insightful lectures in the evening sessions of the programme.
The programme was facilitated by lead trainer, Paula Fray of frayintermedia, who focuses on honing the writing skills of the delegates.
A module on reading and understanding financial statements for news reporting is offered by the Johannesburg School of Finance, including a simulation exercise which enhances the delegates’ understanding of the accounting concepts.
There was also a half-a-day numerical literacy course for business journalists aimed at enhancing their understanding of the figures that needs to be interpreted and analysed for the benefit of their readers, to help add value to their numeracy skills.
About Sanlam Summer School for Financial Journalists
The annual Sanlam Summer School for Financial Journalists (Summer School) was established as Sanlam’s response to the King II Report on Corporate Governance in 2003.
The King Report called on the private sector to assist in training financial journalists to develop investigative journalism skills to support improving corporate governance in South Africa.
Over the years, the Summer School has become a key calendar event in financial journalism in Africa.
Since 2013, Sanlam extended the invitation to journalists from other regions in Africa to attend the programme through a sponsorship from the Group’s business partners in the countries where Sanlam currently has a presence. As a result, journalists from Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Nigeria have attended.
The Summer School is one of several initiatives whereby Sanlam supports to the development of financial journalism. The sponsorship of the Stellenbosch University Journalism School’s Business Journalism and Numerical Literacy module.
