The Media Foundation West Africa (MFWA) has started a major three-year media support project in Guinea-Bissau. The project, funded by the European Union, is entitled: Promoting Media Freedom and Access to Quality Information in Guinea-Bissau.
The project aims to improve the capacity of media associations and unions in the country; promote press freedom and professionalism; and strengthen the capacity of journalists and media organizations so that they can produce quality, fact-based reports, contributing to the improvement of human rights, democratic development and countering extremist radicalization trends.
Through collaborative, multi-stakeholder and locally-oriented processes, the project will involve strengthening the capacities of local media actors, such as the country’s main journalists’ union, the Sindicato dos Jornalistas e Técnicos da Comunicação Social (SINJOTECS); the Rede Nacional das Rádios e Televisões Comunitárias (RENARC), the Ordem dos Jornalistas da Guiné-Bissau (OGB) and the Associação das Mulheres Profissionais da Comunicação Social (AMPROCS). Other state actors, such as the Ministry of Social Communication, media regulatory institutions, the police, the army and the National Human Rights Commission will also be involved in the project.
MFWA Executive Director Sulemana Braimah explained that the media in Guinea-Bissau has an instrumental role to play in rebuilding and consolidating democratic gains in the country, increasing citizens’ participation in governance processes, holding officeholders accountable and countering extremist tendencies that could undermine peaceful coexistence in the country. The project is thus in line with the MFWA’s objective of strengthening the media throughout West Africa to play an important role in these processes.
“As an organization, we recognize the tremendous role that the media can play in consolidating democracy and improving governance and development in the region. What we aspire to is to have highly professional, ethical and independent journalists, media organizations and local media actors who can collectively promote media rights, improve the quality of journalism and counter radicalization and violent extremism, especially among young people,” said Mr. Braimah.
From September 20 to 24, 2021, a three-person team composed of MFWA board members from Cape Verde, Mrs. Hilda Regina Melício Teófilo, Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah, and Project Administrative Director, Daisy Prempeh, joined a team from SINJOTECS to hold consultation meetings with various stakeholders in the capital, Bissau.
The MFWA held consultative meetings with various stakeholders
The stakeholders who were brought together to discuss the project included officials from the Ministry of Media; officials from media regulatory institutions; the military leadership; the leadership of the various journalists’ unions/associations; officials from the Communications Authority responsible for overseeing frequencies and ICT, among others. All stakeholders expressed their commitment to the project and its implementation.
Some of the stakeholders who were met to discuss the project included the military leadership.
The project will be implemented with financial support from the European Union.
