On Friday, July 18, the Faculty of Journalism and Media Studies (FOJAMS) at the Institute of Journalism in the University of Media, Arts and Communication, (UniMAC), collaborated with MKNet Consulting LLC and EMATECH Academy, USA, to hold the Futuristic Africa Youth and Technology Symposium (FAYATS) under the theme “Igniting Change and Empowering the 21st Century Student with Innovative IT Solutions for Sustainable Development.” The event took place at the UniMAC’s South Legon campus and was hosted by Ms. Mary Naa Agbanye Anum, the Faculty Officer of FOJAMS.
Prof. Christiana Hammond, the Rector for UniMAC’s Institute of Journalism opened the event with remarks on the importance of educating journalism students in Information Technology (IT), stressing its relevance in today’s evolving media landscape.
This was followed by the Ag. Dean of FOPAM, Prof. Etse Sikanku, who stated the purpose of the gathering, highlighting the pressing need for students to be equipped with essential IT tools and skills to thrive in the 21st century. Prof. Sikanku went on the introduce the Guest Speaker and invited him to the dais to address the students.
The Guest Speaker for the event was Mr. Ebako Mukwele, Chief Executive Officer of MKNet Consulting LLC and EMATECH Academy, USA. In delivering his address, Mr. Ebako Mukwele spoke on the rapid global advancements in technology and urged students pursuing journalism to embrace IT for sustainable development. He underscored the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a transformative tool in journalism. “AI, when used with the right prompt, can assist in fact-checking, source verification, error correction, and news editing,” he noted, adding that such tools make journalistic work more efficient.
Mr. Mukwele demonstrated practically some of the IT prompts students should be aware of in using AI tools, as well as, security measures that must be implemented to avoid cyberattacks. He also noted that public Wi-Fi, although free, poses potential threats for cyberattacks and therefore must be used in circumspect.
Students had the opportunity to engage with the Guest Speaker through a question-and-answer session, seeking clarification on the information shared and also, expressing comments on how beneficial the presentation has been for their budding profession.
The event was attended by other Senior Members from UniMAC such as the Director of Public Affairs, Ms. Nana Efua Rockson; the Director of the Center for Global Education Collaboration (CGEC), the Assistant Registrar at CGEC, Mrs. Perpetual Agyemang; the Head of Business Development and Marketing, Mrs. Benedicta Nyame; Lecturers at FOJAMS, as well as some members of management and the student body.
After a successful management, faculty and student interaction with the Guest Speaker, Dr. Paul Herzuah, a lecturer at FOJAMS gave the closing remarks. He expressed deep appreciation to the Guest Speaker, management, faculty members, and students for contributing to the success of the event.
Journalism practice is evolving with the advancement of AI. As a faculty with the objective to train journalists and communicators of the future, who are tech-savvy and AI aware, FOJAMS makes it a duty to marry theory with practice. This symposium is one of many activities to bridge the theory and practice gap in providing academic excellence at UniMAC.