by USAID-Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria in collaboration with the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) has flagged off the 2023 Media Epidemiology, Infodemiology, and Social Behaviour Change/Risk Communication (EIS) fellowship.
The Director General of the NCDC, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa during the flag-off on Monday said the fellowship will help journalists, health reporters, and health producers connect with other journalists while equipping them with world-class practical knowledge and relevant skills on proper health reporting.
He noted that during the outbreak of COVID-19, there was an excessive amount of unfiltered information concerning the virus such that the solution became more difficult.
Adetifa explained that “it is in the realization of this objective, that the NCDC, BA-N, and AFENET adopted a fellowship program aimed at ensuring greater and equitable way to develop, collect and evaluate health information and communication patterns.”
Also speaking, the representative of the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON), Mr. Usman Umar Bello thanked the NCDC, BA-N, AFENET, and other partners for choosing to partner with BON for the fellowship program.
He noted that the collaboration was pertinent, especially as the spread of unverified news has ravaged the media space in the country and the world at large, adding that BON will give the fellowship its full support.
In her remark, the Deputy Project Director, USAID-Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria, Dr. Olayinka Umar-Farouk stated that without effective communication, behavior change efforts may not be successful because individuals may not understand the reasons for change, the benefits of changing their behavior, or the steps needed to make a change.
She added that during the fellowship, the NCDC will be in charge of Infodemiology, AFENET will be in charge of Epidemiology, and BA-N will be in charge of Social and Behavior Change/Risk Communication.
The fellowship which will be Hybrid will run for three months (starting from September 2023) and it’s open for health journalists across the country.
- Applicants must be journalists reporting/producing health content.
- Applicants must have evidence to show that he/she is a health reporter/producer.
- The applicant’s organization must be fully involved in the application process.
Dignitaries who also attended the event include Dr. Modupe Hambolu, Mrs. Rita Okea, Dr. Elizabeth Adedire, Eze Eze Ogali, amongst others.
