Lagos Business School partners Nestlé Nigeria to train journalists in Nutrition, Health and Wellness reportage

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Lagos Business School partners Nestlé Nigeria to train journalists in Nutrition, Health and Wellness reportage

Lagos Business School (LBS) has partnered with transnational food and beverage company, Nestlé Nigeria to train Nigerian journalists in advancing the understanding and inclusion of Creating Shared Value (CSV), Nutrition, Health and Wellness (NHW) and other sustainable development concerns in media coverage.

Facilitated by LBS faculty and health and nutrition experts, the 4-day workshop employed in-class and online sessions to engage and empower media personnel with the knowledge of CSV, NHW, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sustainability, climate change, and food sufficiency, particularly in the Nigerian and African context.

Participants on the programme took lessons in topics such as the business of nutrition, food security in Nigeria, redefining news by incorporating sustainable development considerations, the relationship between nutrition and health, among others.

LBS alumnus and pioneer Professor of Food Science and Technology, Bells University of Technology, Olugbenga Ogunmoyela used several case studies to explain journalism and the health of a nation. Explaining the concept of context NHW reportage, Professor Ogunmoyela listed some examples of contextual controversies that are often perpetuated by the media. They include but are not limited to ‘Obesity, hypertension and diabetes are diseases of affluence’, ‘Eggs and meat are bad for you after 40’, ‘The polio vaccine should be avoided because it kills’, ‘Diet and exercise are the panaceas for longevity’.

Professor Ogunmoyela, however, advised the journalists to humanise health coverage by making it about people. He added that they should work in a context where they can influence food choices when reporting NHW.

Closing the programme, Managing Director, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr Mauricio Alarcon said, “No single company or institution can make a difference. We all need to work together to achieve the SDGs set by the United Nations, hence our partnership with LBS, an institution that has the knowledge, the right skills and teams to make this happen.”

“We hope you can tell these stories and inspire change through your pens”, he added.

Speaking further on the partnership, LBS faculty and Academic Director of the workshop, Dr Ijeoma Nwagwu said, “LBS is extending its sense of responsibility to a broader audience beyond the business community because we have a strong ethos around responsibility and running a programme that empowers a key sector like the media to tell the truth accurately is something that represents the responsibility for which LBS stands.”

The participating journalists gave their feedback on the workshop describing it as a rare type that bridges a disconnect in their reportage. They were later presented with certificates of participation.

 

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