The Public Media Alliance (PMA), with support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), has trained 21 women journalists and media managers from Ghana and Nigeria on physical and digital safety, self defence, and mental health management to enhance their capacity to manage risks associated in their professional duties.

The training, organised under the project, “COVID’s Legacy: The Role of African Media in Keeping Women Journalists Safe,” equipped participants, including The Guardian Adaku Onyenucheya, with practical safety skills to manage risks, protect their mental wellbeing and work safely.

The project activities focused on strengthening physical and online safety, wellbeing and organisational resilience across the media sector, while protecting women journalists and fostering press freedom and democracy.

The programme featured a two-day virtual mental health training, held on October 7 to 8, 2026, which focused on mental health and wellbeing, coping strategies, stress management and referral pathways for the 21 participants, drawn from different media organisations in Nigeria and Ghana.

It also included a two-day, in-person workshop covering physical safety, digital security, risk assessment, trauma-informed practices and support strategies, held on October 14 and 15, at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Accra, Ghana with trainers drawn from Lazarus Safety Training.

The capacity-building workshops also supported participants to develop individualised safety toolboxes containing checklists, workflows, emergency contacts and practical resources to help them manage and respond to risks encountered in their daily work.

Speaking after the programme in Accra, the Development and Partnerships Officer at PMA, Keiran Turner, said the project evaluated safeguards, identified gaps and strengthened physical, online and mental wellbeing measures for women working in the media.

She said the training was designed to equip participants with practical tools to protect themselves while carrying out their professional responsibilities, noting that women journalists needed to assess potential risks, remain composed in challenging situations and adopt appropriate measures to safeguard their mental wellbeing as well as physical and digital security.

Turner said safety measures for women journalists extend beyond the use of protective equipment to include decisions and precautions taken before, during and after assignments.

According to her, women journalists also need to consider how to remain calmassignments when entering potentially dangerous situations, protect themselves during and manage their online presence, especially those whose work regularly puts them in the public eye.

Equipping the participants with practical guidance on surveillance awareness, navigating checkpoints and self-defence, first-aid instructor with Lazarus Safety Training, Laura Sullivan, said women journalists must remain vigilant, avoid predictable routines and work in teams to reduce their exposure to physical threats and other security risks while carrying out their journalistic duties.

Sullivan said women journalists often face additional safety challenges, including sexual and physical abuse, intimidation and discrimination, which could undermine their ability to carry out their responsibilities.

The instructor said the training was designed to equip women journalists with practical skills and the knowledge to recognise potential threats, protect themselves and navigate challenging situations encountered in the course of their work.

“Always be aware of your surroundings. Always try and work in pairs or threes so you have someone there to back you up. Just make sure that you mix up what you are doing at all times and that you are not following the same pattern every day,” she said.

She further advised women journalists to trust their instincts and leave environments where they felt unsafe rather than expose themselves to avoidable danger.

A safety trainer with Lazarus Safety Training, Alistair Hollington, said the training covered pre-assignment planning, surveillance awareness, personal safety, public-order situations and practical physical techniques to help participants escape potentially dangerous encounters.

The trainer said the practical sessions included techniques to help women journalists break free if someone attempted to corner them, grab their arms or seize their bags.

He explained that effective safety preparation should begin before journalists leave the newsroom, with attention given to risk assessments, travel arrangements, communication plans and contingency measures.

On digital security, Hollington advised women journalists to regularly check what personal information was publicly available online and take steps to protect their devices and sensitive information.

He said this includes limiting access to information stored on mobile phones with passcodes and assess the possible consequences if sensitive contacts or other data fell into the wrong hands.

The trainer encouraged women journalists to trust their instincts and speak up when a situation made them uncomfortable, stressing that early recognition of a threat could help prevent an incident from escalating.