9mobile Trains Journalists, Advocates Dynamic Online Communities 

9mobile, a leading advocate for professional development in journalism recently held its quarterly capacity-building session for journalists in recognition of the critical role they play in shaping narratives and promoting meaningful online and offline conversations. The session was facilitated by Oluwatosin Olaseinde, Founder of Money Africa and Ladda, a financial literacy and investment platform (Edtech and Fintech) with a community of over 300,000 people.

This seventh edition of the 9mobile capacity building session with the theme “Building Online Communities for Journalistic Exploits” aimed at equipping journalists with the necessary skills to foster engagement, collaboration, and impact through digital platforms.

Olaseinde, in her presentation, explained simple steps to develop online community-building strategies, online community management, audience engagement techniques, leveraging social media platforms, and sustainable community growth. She said, “It is important to recognize the potential of online communities to facilitate dialogue and collective participation between the media and their audience. The first step is to identify your target audience, define community goals, and craft engaging content that ensures vibrant discussions and interactions”.

“There is a need to create a niche and understand the demographic with which you are dealing. If they are Gen Zs, who primarily use TikTok, or millennials and baby boomers, who primarily use WhatsApp, X, and Facebook, then you must design your messaging to suit each audience, she continued.” She also shared her personal experience on how her deep understanding of financial literacy drove her to create an ecosystem of financially literate individuals through her platform. Her passion for developing a platform that provides Millennials and Gen Z equal access to wealth accumulation techniques led to the creation of Money Africa and Ladda.

Speaking after the session, 9mobile’s Public Relations lead, Chineze Amanfo, said, “The digital landscape has transformed the way journalism is practiced, demanding innovative approaches to engage with audiences and create meaningful connections. We charge our media friends to apply the techniques discussed during the session and create and nurture online communities that transcend geographical boundaries. We also encourage you to harness the power of digital platforms for knowledge dissemination, audience engagement, and the amplification of impactful stories.”

Amanfo stated that the knowledge imparted to the participants during the training will equip them with the skills needed to establish and manage vibrant online communities to maximize their online presence and effectively engage with their audience. She commended the journalists for their consistent participation in the 9mobile Capacity building sessions and reiterated the company’s support for their professional development.