The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa (BMIA) announced the expansion of its Financial Journalism Training (FJT) programme to five African countries following the success of the programme in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, where 568 delegates from 13 countries have graduated to-date.

In a statement released, Tuesday, the US media giant announced an expansion of their globally-renowned programme after being positively received by media practitioners on the African continent.

“The BMIA today announced the expansion of its FJT programme to Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania, joining Ghana and Zambia where training programmes launched earlier this year. This unique educational offering will support the advancement of financial journalism and contribute to economic development on the continent. The expansion of the training programme to five new countries in Africa follows the success of the programme in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, where 568 delegates from 13 countries have graduated to-date,” Bloomberg stated in a press release issued from its New York headquarters.

“More than 100 delegates will take part in the first intake of the training in the latest three countries to offer the programme – Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Tanzania – which will be delivered in collaboration with university partners in each country. BMIA’s expansion to Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal will introduce the training program to Francophone countries for the first time.

Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, said in a statement: “Reliable, accessible financial reporting is critical to driving sustainable economic growth and good governance. The expansion of the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa to five new countries will significantly further our mission to advance financial journalism and transparency on the continent.”

During the next six months, the delegates will spend 19 days in interactive sessions led by prominent faculty at local universities and will cover topics to strengthen their skills in and understanding of data analysis, capital markets, accounting, public policy, economics and the transforming media landscape.

Financial journalism sessions will be taught by Bloomberg News reporters.

Delegates will also receive a free, six-month subscription to the Bloomberg Terminal, offering access to global data, news and analysis.

The Financial Journalism Training programme is a core component of the BMIA, which aims to contribute to the advancement of business and financial reporting in Africa, recognizing the important role the media plays in promoting transparency, accountability and good governance.

The BMIA is a project of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The FJT program in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia will also receive support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Since its launch in 2014, BMIA has reached more than 1,000 stakeholders in Africa.