The United States (US) has allocated $50 million to Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general election. The money is for the training of some category of people like journalists, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and technical assistance among others in the bid to ensure a transparent election at next year’s polls.
The US Consul General, Will Stevens disclosed this in Ibadan capital of Oyo State today during an open session of an election reporting workshop for journalists organised by West Africa Broadcast & Media Academy (WABMA).
He explained that as part of efforts to ensure that every vote counts next year, the US government has been working with partners through US Agency for International Development(USAID).
The US consul general also revealed that hundreds of training have been held for journalists in various topics like topics fact checking, health reporting, defence and national security reporting, investigative journalism, election reporting and media ethics to better equip them.
According to him, the US government will continue to emphasise the need and value of voting and protecting a free press.
Stevens advanced that “The US government has allocated over $50 million for technical assistance and support, training, for civil society organizations to support elections, transparency, elections processes, technical assistance, working on the IT systems among others.
He said: “We’re committed to initiatives here in Nigeria to build needed capacity. We funded training for hundreds of journalists on topics ranging from fact-checking, health reporting, defence and national security reporting, investigative journalism, election reporting and media ethics.”
