The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Katsina State Chapter, is set to partner with the Katsina State Directorate of Information and Communications Technology (KATDICT) to enhance the digital skills, online safety and professional capacity of women journalists.
The proposed partnership was discussed on Wednesday when the association paid a courtesy visit to KATDICT, where it identified artificial intelligence (AI), social media management, mobile journalism, digital storytelling, cybersecurity and fact-checking as key areas for collaboration.
Speaking during the visit, KATDICT Director-General, Naufal Ahmad, welcomed the initiative and assured NAWOJ of the Directorate’s readiness to support the association through structured capacity-building programmes.
Ahmad said the Directorate would consider the association’s requests for training, digital security and protection of social media platforms.
He also urged beneficiaries of such programmes to adopt a “pay it forward” approach by sharing the knowledge gained with other members of the association.
The KATDICT boss stressed the important role of the media in shaping society, while expressing concern over the underrepresentation of women and young people in public discourse.
He challenged NAWOJ to use its platform to amplify the voices and perspectives of women and young people in the media and in government decision-making.
Ahmad further expressed concern over the spread of misinformation and disinformation, particularly with the growing use of AI tools to create convincing but false photographs, videos and other digital content.
He urged journalists to strengthen their ability to detect manipulated and AI-generated materials and uphold professional ethics, especially as the country approaches another politically sensitive period.
Earlier, NAWOJ Chairperson in Katsina State, Hajiya Fatima Sanda Kaita, said the visit was aimed at establishing a sustainable institutional partnership with KATDICT rather than a one-off engagement.
Kaita requested practical training for members on the use of AI for journalistic research, transcription, translation, content development, fact-checking and productivity enhancement.
She also sought capacity building in social media management and digital storytelling across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.
The NAWOJ chairperson said digital fact-checking and information verification had become increasingly important as journalists confront manipulated, misleading and AI-generated content.
She appealed to KATDICT to include NAWOJ members in relevant digital skills programmes organised or supported by the Directorate.
Kaita assured that NAWOJ was ready to leverage its media network to promote public awareness on digital literacy, responsible technology use, online safety and the fight against misinformation.
Both organisations expressed optimism that the proposed partnership would create sustainable capacity-building opportunities for women journalists in Katsina State.
The two sides are expected to work through designated focal persons to develop a roadmap and identify priority programmes.
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