Veteran journalists from Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria issued a united call for transformative environmental reporting at the Second Biennial Media Forum on Natural Resources, Environment, Climate Change and Science (BiM-NECS 2) in Kumasi.
The gathering stressed that surface-level coverage fails communities grappling with ecological crises.
Rosalia Omungo, CEO of Kenya’s Editors Guild, set the tone virtually: “Center real people in every story—show their struggles, what’s at stake, and who must act.” She urged journalists to “follow the money” behind environmental conflicts and translate complex data into relatable terms. From Nigeria, Environews Nigeria’s Michael Simire condemned episodic reporting tied to disasters: “Specialize beyond floods and World Environment Day. Build expertise through training.”
Ghana’s Kofi Adu Domfeh of JoyNews pushed for localizing global climate talks: “Track Ghana’s climate pledges. Many citizens don’t know our 2030 targets are at risk without local funding.” He challenged reporters to connect UN discussions to coastal erosion in Ketu or drought in Bolgatanga—and reminded colleagues that individual actions like tree planting matter.
The forum confronted harsh realities: Naana Nkansah Agyekum (ex-Metro TV) advised pairing data with human voices to resist intimidation. “Community-powered stories on sustainability struggles win global recognition,” she noted. Kingsley Hope, Ghanaian Times regional manager, condemned “extractive storytelling” ignoring local perspectives. “Restoring ecosystems isn’t abstract—it’s survival,” he insisted, demanding tighter journalist-scientist collaboration.
When politics overshadowed environmental coverage, journalists proposed solutions. “If political news dominates, expose the politics within climate stories,” one argued. “Climate issues are development issues.” Others called for dedicated NECS desks and niche specializations like “resource politics” to build authority.
The forum closed with a stark consensus: impactful NECS reporting requires sustained investigations, data literacy, and centering ordinary people’s resilience. As Domfeh put it: “The story that changes lives shows how a farmer adapts to erratic rains—not just the rainfall charts.”
Organized by MPEC, ASCIR, and The Steminist Foundation, the forum included Ghana’s EPA, Forestry Commission, and academia.