Nico Group hails financial journalists

Conglomerate, Nico Group has hailed financial journalists in the country for the role they are playing in informing Malawians about various issues relating to business and the economy.

Nico Group Head of Marketing and Communications, Lorraine Phiri, was speaking on Wednesday when the firm announced that it would fly Zodiak Broadcasting Station journalist, John Paul Kayuni, to the Sanlam Summer School for Financial Journalists in South Africa.

Kayuni becomes the seventh journalist to attend the summer school since Nico started sending local journalists in 2014.

Phiri said it is important for stakeholders to appreciate the role journalists play in the financial sector.

She said business journalists are playing a crucial role in advocating the national financial inclusion agenda, among other things.

“Once every year, through our partner Sanlam in South Africa, we have the opportunity of selecting a local journalist to attend the Sanlam Summer School for financial journalism.

“There has been significant improvement. We see now, that the ability of the media to interpret financial information and interrogate us as corporates on these statements, has improved,” Phiri said.

She added that the training, which was launched by Sanlam in response to the need to develop financial reporting skills among media practitioners, has proven effective.

In his remarks, Kayuni thanked Nico Group for the recognition and urged fellow journalists to work hard.

“I am grateful for the recognition. I guess this is the reward for what Nico says is the good work that I do. I don’t take it for granted. It also encourages me to keep the game going.

“What Nico is doing is one way of giving us information on how best to perform our duties,” Kayuni said.