Talk: Innovation Journalism for Change in Mozambique

Prof Erkki Sutinen- Department of Computer Science, University of Eastern Finland
Dr Silvia Gaiani – Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Bologna, Italy



Our presentation will illustrate the main components of the project “Innovation Journalism for Change in Mozambique” . Such project - which is soon going to be developed as part of the Programme of Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation between Finland and Mozambique (STIFIMO) 2010-2014 -  aims at involving Mozambican stakeholders in reporting and diffusing information on innovation systems at the national, provincial and district level and at making Mozambique the first African country to have well trained experts in innovation journalism.

Maputo, Mocambique

One of the main component of the project is the establishment of a web platform/forum with which Mozambican journalists, academics and representatives of the civil society will be able to cover and support creative everyday ideas, private initiatives, governmental programs and third sector initiatives, as well as business innovation activities already running in Mozambique or about to be developed in the country. The web platform/forum will focus on stories about successful case studies of grass root innovations in Mozambique. Attention will be paid to the visual process of innovation and to the training of the local partners in learning to read the environment and raise awareness concerning innovation with a multidisciplinary perspective. The web forum will be also linked to the existing InJo networks (Stanford innovation platform, FinJo website in Finland) and consequently strengthen its visibility and promote Mozambique as an African example of success.

Parallel to the web platform a course in Innovation Journalism will be established. The curriculum of the course will be designed in a way that will keep the local Mozambican context in consideration. Practical skills in visual, digital and multimedia journalism, news gathering and reporting, photojournalism and entrepreneurship will be taught in parallel with the development of the open platform.
The project will also involve 3 Community Multimedia Centers (1 from Northern Mozambique, 1 from Central Mozambique and 1 from Southern Mozambique) which are places – normally located in rural areas - where community radio is combined with telecenter facilities, offering training in ICTs, e-mail, Internet access and a large scale of services responding to development needs.
 By the end of the project a workshop will be organized  in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo and  a prize in Innovative Communication/Innovation Journalism will be given to the most talented journalist who has distinguished himself/herself in the course of the training and for his/her contribution to the open/web platform.