Four Savana Signatures staff have successfully taken part in a one day capacity building training organized by the Tamale Branch of the Google Technology User Group (GTUG). The event, spearheaded by the Northern Ghana ICT Innovators,
an association of people involved in ICT and based in the Northern Part of Ghana was organized on Saturday the 26th of March 2011 at the Filla Consult Training centre.Jojoo Imbeah and Kelvin Fiifi Baidoo from Accra GTUG were the facilitators. Participants were taken through a general presentation on google and google apps. A hands on was done on google maps. Participants went through the Tamale township with some android devices to map key institutions and points of interest in Tamale.
Mr. Abdul Rashid Imoro, Program Officer – Education, Mr. Samuel Acheampong, Program officer – Documentation, Ralph Adomey, Capacity Building Officer, Robertson Agbenyo, Technical Officer and Miss Fuseina Dedawu, Secretary took part in the training. As a contribution to the success of the event, Savana
Signatures supported the training with computers and Internet facility.

The maiden edition of the ICT4D forum for the 2011 year came off on Thursday 26th February, 2011 at the Northern regional library. In attendance were members from the Female ICT Teachers Association (FICTTA), Ghana Library Board’s ITAP members, invited youth and the general public.

Opening the forum, the Team leader of Savana Signatures, Mr. John Stephen Agbenyo welcomed participants to the new venue for the ICT4D forum and commended members for their attendance and the contribution to the forum since its inception in the region.

He informed the participants that the forum was a monthly one organized by Savana Signatures on behalf of GINKS.

He went on to explain the activities of the two organizations and called on members to patronize the forum and to invite their friends for subsequent forums.
Mr. John Stephen Agbenyo explain that, the choice of the topic for the forum was as a result of the fact that, most youth in the last general elections were actively involved in electoral violence, thus the need for this forum to provide a platform to educate the youth.
Speaking on the topic, “The role of ICTs in preventing electoral violence”, Mr. Dominic Dery, a lecturer at the Tamale Polytechnic and a former District Electoral Officer of the Saboba District explained that electoral violence included the use of force by political parties or their supporters to intimidate opponents and threats to a democratic regime.

He added that, in some instances, violence is used to intimidate opponents in order to force them not to dare openly and freely express their choices of candidates; whilst in others, violence is manifested in the rigging of elections.
Mr. Dery opined that to ensure violent free and democratic elections, the election must be free, fair and transparent.

He indicated that ICT can promote the credibility of election results, and that it was high time Ghana, as a country

considers mainstreaming ICT fully into our electoral system. He indicated that one sure way ICT could promote election free violence in the near future in Ghana is through the introduction of the biometric register which will help to avoid multiple registrations and voting. He added that ICTs could contribute to the quick declaration of election results; thereby reducing the tension associated with delayed results and will eventually enhance the democratic process of Ghana.

The speaker went on to emphasize that ICT will enable the electorates to be regularly informed and kept abreast of all the activities surrounding the conduct of elections, thereby saving the people from unnecessary rumor and lies which can derail the peaceful atmosphere in the country. Mr. Dery was however quick to add that an irresponsible person or group of persons can use technology (ICT) to cause election violence as it occurred in Rwanda some years past.

He bemoaned the situations where media houses characterized by facilitating communication, information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web. He stated that web 2.0 has Programs and services that allow new ways of using the internet which include allowing users to contribute content, edit WebPages, add comments, upload documents, images or videos and even add content to their personal websites.

He emphasised that web 2.0 is a much potential tool for rural development since it allows many people to share information and pictures, collaborate on documents such as reports, spreadsheets, and presentations and comment on activities.

He further identified income generation, advertising, free Online Training, increased access to relevant and up-to-date content, establishment of communities of Practice as well as remote collaboration and Networking as the other benefits of using google applications.(both the print and electronic) in Ghana tried to call results

of election in favour of their affiliated parties. Such an act can be a recipe for chaos and must be guarded against.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. Dominic Dery stated that the most important watch word during elections is vigilance on the part of everybody. “People must be vigilant so as to prevent attempts at changing the decision of the electorates” he said.

The Northern Regional Librarian, Mr. Aaron Kuwuono, expressed his joy and satisfaction

at the discussion that took place and urged participants to patronize the library as it is a place where the general public could source information. He added that he was happy that the Library has this partnership with GINKS and Savana Signatures to organize the monthly ICT4D Forum at the Library.

Savana Signatures (SavSign) has organised a five day Information literacy capacity training for twenty journalists from both the electronic and print media in Ghana. The five day capacity training equipped journalists with the skills that they need to become more resourceful and competitive in their search and reportage of information in the 21st century.

SavSign identifies journalism as the vehicle that must be used to drive the social, economic and political growth of the country and the north in particular. It was in the light of the immense role that journalists and information literacy play to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals that Savana Signatures with funding from International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) organized a five day information literacy training workshop to widen the knowledge scope of twenty selected journalists across the various media houses in the Northern region of Ghana.

The facilitators, Mr. John Stephen Agbenyo of SavSign and Mr. Joseph Kpetigo of GINKS built the capacity of the media men and women regarding how to recognize useful information and how toevaluate and use information effectively to meet local consumption and enhance development and growth. Participants were also taken through the process of understanding the economic, legal and social implications surrounding the information they access and urged to use the information ethically and legally with the ultimate goal of harnessing development.

The journalists’ capacities were built to enable them understand information needs of their listeners and readers, identify the appropriate means of assessing information need and eventually formulating an effective search strategy. The journalists were also taken through the use of mind mapping which entails using brainstorming in accessing current and prior knowledge and placing it in context to make it news worthy. Other topics that the journalists were taken through included skills in searching for information online using a variety of search engines, effective ways of authenticating and evaluating information and how to create a reflective journal to serve as road map in their daily activities as media men.
At the end of the five day information literacy training workshop, the participants were awarded certificates. Since the training was for journalists, the Northern Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Alidu Baba was present at the closing ceremony and expressed his gratitude to INASP and Savana Signatures for conducting the training for the journalists. Mr. Baba said that the GJA was very proud to be part of the workshop and stressed that “ … the GJA is not only concerned with championing and advocating a better working environment for media practitioners but also ensuring their professional development and so this training by Savana Signatures will help raise the professional standards of the journalists.” He also urged the journalists to use the skills acquired to contribute even more than ever to the growth of the region and be good instruments of social change.

The Director of Savana Signatures and lead facilitator at the workshop, Mr. John Stephen Agbenyo, in his closing remarks expressed his appreciation to the media men that in spite of their busy schedules, they availed themselves for the five days capacity building session and admonished them to use the knowledge acquired to better the lot of themselves and the entire society.