Nyika Media Club Members Trained in Financial Literacy
The training underscores efforts to enhance professionalism and ethical standards in Malawi's media industry by addressing the financial vulnerabilities that may compromise journalism's integrity.
MZUZU, Malawi - Members of the Nyika Media Club in Mzuzu received training in financial literacy on April 26, aimed at equipping the journalists with essential money management skills for their personal and professional lives, writes Tionge Hara.
The training session, facilitated by Francis Kandonga, the head of operations at UCSSACCO, covered key financial concepts and best practices to empower the journalists in navigating the monetary aspects of their work, especially investigative journalism.
"Journalists are always there to supply us with knowledge, and we always forget that they also need to be trained on how they can manage their own personal finances," Kandonga said.
"This training was an intervention to impact the media with knowledge that can transform their lives."
He emphasized the importance of financial planning from the start of one's career, including preparing for retirement through pension contributions.
Feston Malekezo, chairperson of the Nyika Media Club, welcomed the training, noting that many journalists struggle with personal finances, which can lead to unethical practices like accepting bribes.
"As journalists, our finances mostly aren't good, and we always engage in bad things," Malekezo said. "
To avoid being corrupted by big fishes, we really need to have behaviors in controlling our finances."
He encouraged fellow journalists to apply the financial literacy lessons and produce stories that could help educate the public on money management.
The training underscores efforts to enhance professionalism and ethical standards in Malawi's media industry by addressing the financial vulnerabilities that may compromise journalism's integrity.
Participants gained insights into budgeting, saving, investing, debt management and various financial products to make informed decisions for their long-term economic well-being.