Accra, June 15, GNA - A 10-day training programme aimed at enhancing the skills in Economics and Financial Reporting has opened in Accra on Wednesday.

The programme, which targets largely new financial reporters, is to enable media practitioners to understand and confidently report on economic= , business and financial issues.

The training, which will be held once every quarter for journalists from various media houses, is being put together by El de D Consult, a Marketing Communications Firm.

The Director of Public Investments Division of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Mrs Magdalene Apenteng, who represented the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Seth Tekper, urged the media to give prominence to economic and financial issues. She said economic and financial issues should be disseminated in a ver= y clear and transparent manner that would be understood by all. She, therefore, urged participants at the training, to become apostles of business related issues when they return to their various newsrooms afte= r the programme.

Touching on the need to have such programmes, the External Affairs Director of Newmont Ghana Gold, sponsors of the training, Dr Chris Anderson noted that the mining company had contributed significantly to the economy of Ghana and would continue to do.

He said Newmont decided to partner the organisers because accurate reporting of economic issues was important to the business community and th= e society in general. On his part, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Ransford Tetteh, said the Association was in support of such training programmes because of the positive impact they have on journalists. He commended the organisers for the training and urged the participant= s to take it serious and make the best out of it. There were messages from the Communications team of the World Bank based in Washington via a video conference.

Mr Fred Avornyo of El de D Consult said for every quarter a new set of journalists would be invited to attend the training programme. He said it was the hope of the organisation to equip as many journalists as possible including those in the regions, with basic skills i= n Finance and Economics.