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LBS, Nestlé Nigeria train journalists on sustainable development

By Benjamin Alade
28 May 2019   |   2:25 am
The Lagos Business School (LBS), Sustainability Centre, and Nestlé Nigeria have concluded a four-day workshop on broadening the understanding of the media on sustainable development concerns.

Sustainability Associate, LBS, Oreva Atanya, (second left); Media Specialist and Adjunct Faculty, School of Media and Communications, Chido Nwakanma; Faculty, Strategy and Sustainability, LBS, Dr Ijeoma Nwagwu; Managing Director, Nestlé Nigeria, Mauricio Alarcon; Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria, Victoria Uwadoka; Chioma Emma-Nwachukwu of Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa and journalists during a workshop on sustainable development organised by LBS and Nestlé.

The Lagos Business School (LBS), Sustainability Centre, and Nestlé Nigeria have concluded a four-day workshop on broadening the understanding of the media on sustainable development concerns.

Facilitated by LBS faculty, Nestlé Nigeria resource persons, and health and nutrition experts, the workshop engaged and empowered media personnel with the knowledge of Creating Shared Value (CSV), Nutrition Health and Wellness (NHW), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sustainability, climate change, and food sufficiency, particularly in the Nigerian and African contexts.

The sessions highlighted CSV as a sustainability advancement approach. It also focused on NHW and their importance to the Nigerian media. Sustainable development issues such as nutrition, food security, health, and wellness affect everyone in the society.

The expected outcome of the workshop was to enhance journalists’ ability to interpret and report stories with proper priority for nutrition, health, and wellness. This in turn will provide individuals and families with the information needed to make the best nutrition choices for their needs.

LBS alumnus and pioneer Professor of Food Science and Technology, Bells University of Technology, Olugbenga Ogunmoyela, used several case studies to underpin the nexus between journalism and the health of a nation.
Explaining the concept of context in NHW reportage, Prof 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’.

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

Managing Director, Nestlé Nigeria, 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 contribute to making this happen.“We hope you can tell these stories and inspire change through your pens.”

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. 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.”

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