By Oumie Bojang
Media Academy for Journalism and Communications, with funding from the American Embassy is set to train 20 Civil Society Organisation members, and 20 community radio journalists on proactive advocacy.
The training is geared towards enhancing their capacity to foster a more democratic society and ensure good governance practices are upheld.
Susan Solomon, representing the US Ambassador, said: “I have learnt that journalism in The Gambia has a long legacy, that legacy that journalists carry for press freedom is strong, and it is evident that reporters of today have no intention of relinquishing that right. That is what is so fascinating and exceptional about journalists we met in The Gambia.” She said these two nations share important values. “Freedom of press is an essential right enshrined by the US Government and a core principle, and a pillar of a healthy democracy.”
Sang Mendy, Managing Director MAJAC, who has for the better part of his career been teaching students on how to be better radio journalists, and communicators, said: “Evidently, the media and CSOs lack the skills to engage in interactive radio programming and proactive advocacy to ignite citizens’ interest in governance and demand for better lives for themselves. The CSOs and media, especially community radios, are effectively weak and lack the requisite capacity to engage in proactive advocacy and journalism. They are also still rooted in the conventional means of reaching their target audiences. The CSOs lack the skills to effectively use social media platforms such as X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok, which are popular amongst young Gambians as sources of information, for their awareness raising and proactive advocacy works. Community radios whose mission is to uplift the plight of the various sectors of the community through good programming also lack the skills to produce interactive content that can ignite public discourses on topical governance issues.”
Modou S Joof, Secretary General GPU, said building the capacity of CSOs and community journalists on advocacy, improved and interactive radio programming will no doubt enhance democracy and their democratic processes in The Gambia.
“There are nine community radio stations, and at least twenty
online news media platforms. With these promising developments, it is important to continuously build the capacity of journalists to strengthen democratic processes, and to inculcate efforts that promote and enhance journalistic integrity, pluralism and independence.”
He added that the functions of community radios include promoting accountability at the local government level, disseminating local news and current affairs programming to further access to information in local communities, to encourage participation, and for people in
communities to be aware of and be able to make informed decisions
on social, political and economic issues. “However, this role has been severely impacted by the lack of capacity due to a high number of experienced personnel leaving community radio stations for commercial stations for better income – leaving the community media to continuously recruit new and inexperienced staff/volunteers regularly.” he said.
Amadou O Bah, Secretary General Network of Community Radios, lauded the initiative saying it is a testament to the power of collaboration and the belief that when “we invest in the capacity of our people, we are investing in the very fabric of our society. It is a step towards a more informed citizenry, a more transparent government, and a more vibrant and resilient democracy. To the beneficiaries, as we embark on this journey together, let us remember that the strength of our network lies not only in the transmission of our signals but in the clarity and truth of the content we provide. Let us commit to using
this opportunity to not only better ourselves but to serve our communities with even greater dedication and excellence.”
