The Director of Information in the Ministry of Information and Digitalisation, Chikumbutso Mtumodzi, has urged journalists in the country to simplify complex financial information to make it more accessible to the general population.
Mtumodzi expressed these views during a media seminar held in Mzuzu over the weekend. The seminar was attended by District Information Officers and members of the Nyika Media Club and focused on Monetary Policy Reporting. It was organized by the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) at Mzuzu Hotel.
The Director praised RBM for providing the media community with the skills necessary to align with President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s vision of considering the media as a vital partner in development and a key pillar in realizing the goals of the Malawi 2063 agenda.
Mtumodzi said: “This training is not only significant to the media but also to the masses as they will be able to understand the figures and all financial matters because it is expected that after this training session, you will be able to present financial and economic matters in a way that the layperson out there understands well.
“Business reporting is not just about numbers and data; it’s about crafting compelling narratives that resonate with your audience for them to grasp well, among others, fiscal policies government is implementing,” he added.
In his remarks, RBM’s Director of Public Relations, Dr. Mark Lungu said they organised the seminar to share the outcome of the monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting which was held from 26 to 27 October this year.
“The media being a vehicle that will take the information to the public has to be aware of the monetary policy situation. Monetary policy information helps the public to strategise in decisions on investing, spending and various endeavors of their lives,” said Lungu.
One of the facilitators at the seminar, Ephraim Phiri an editor from Nation Publications Limited (NPL) said journalists need not be experts in economics but they should understand the basics inorder to deliver their message better.
