State directors of information and journalists started yesterday a nine-day training to deepen their understanding of media for development.
The participants are learning about participatory and interactive radio to improve communication between civil society and the government.The training includes radio interactive programs to enable listeners to contribute actively in information provision.
GTZ country director Manfred Van Eckert told the participants that his organization saw the need to support a free press and bring together journalists, politicians, policy makers and state officials to learn how to communicate and work together.
Mr. Eckert said it was also necessary to link government decision makers and the civil society through interactive radio to benefit people in the rural areas.
He added that radio was the best means to gather and provide information in South Sudan.
Mr. Eckert added that radio helped in shaping democracy.
Over 50 people from the ten states of South Sudan are taking part in the two-stream training for directors of information to learn how to keep in touch with citizens and for journalists to practice interactive programme making.