Capricorn Group hosted the last of a 3-part Financial Journalism Workshop series which media practitioners from the broadcast, print and digital sphere attended to sharpen their financial reporting skills. A first of its kind, these workshops have proven to be highly enlightening and constructive in its objective to benefit our media partners through collaborative information sharing. The first two workshops in this series were held on 23 February and 15 March and were welcomed and appreciated by the media.
Capricorn Group has been listed on the Namibian Stock Exchange since 2013 and recognised the need in the market for enhanced financial reporting, not only to represent the financial sector accurately but to interpret the actions of specifically listed companies and make it understandable for the local communities. This requires the media to be equipped to explain and understand the technical, financial language used in the markets as well as in Annual Reports and subsequently reflect the information in their reporting in a way that makes sense to the reader.
Prior to the first workshop, Capricorn Group carried out research with the media houses to determine the specific needs of financial journalists. The three workshops, held in collaboration with Capricorn Group’s partners Deloitte and Cirrus Capital, has covered the fundamentals of accounting, guidance on how to read and interpret financial statements, economic definitions and the review of critical economic data reports. Media houses that participated in the three workshops included: The Namibian, Namibian Sun, New Era, Republikein, Confidante, NAMPA, the Villager, Radiowave, NBC and Namibia Trade Directory.
“The economy influences and affects us all. Therefore, Capricorn Group believes that active engagement of stakeholders and management of relationships is vital to the continued growth and success of the group and the economy at large, and it serves as an example of the commitment of the group towards connecting people to positive change” said Jaco Esterhuyse, Chief Financial Officer of Capricorn Group when handing over certificates of participation to the journalists.