ACBF and the West African Journalists Association (WAJA) – Capacity Building Project have signed a grant agreement of $2.1 million for a four year capacity enhancement project aimed at strengthening the voices of the media in West Africa.
The grant, signed in Dakar, Senegal, will be used to enhance the competence of West African journalists, as part of a general drive to promote democracy and ensure participatory governance, accountability and transparency in ECOWAS member states, APA can confirm on Monday from a press release from WAJA.
WAJA said by signing the agreement, ACBF and WAJA through the implementation of the project seek to enhance the institutional and human capacity of journalists and media practitioners, strengthen the legal protection, safety and security of West African journalists and improve the working environment for them.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mohamed Garba, the President of WAJA said the grant signing ceremony marks another milestone in the history of WAJA given that the grant $2.1million in total remains the single highest and most commendable assistance to be extended to journalists’ unions across the region.
President Garba pledged that in implementing WAJA-Capacity Building Phase II, the institution seeks to build substantially on the success registered from Phase I and that the WAJA leadership will ensure that all its member countries benefit from the grant.
The second phase of the WAJA-CBP introduces key innovations which include the establishment of a Scholarship Program in Investigative Journalism at both Masters and Diploma levels to promote investigative journalism in the region.
WAJA will now also provide funds for legal support of journalists under criminal prosecution.
The ACBF Executive Secretary, Dr Frannie Leautier, said ACBF is committed to strengthening the voices of the media on the continent through training and skills building.
“This has manifested itself through the increase in the number of media supported projects that ACBF is funding throughout Africa, building on the successes in the implementation of the first phase of WAJA-CBP. These interventions include the Capacity Building Project for Media Development in Southern Africa with the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), signed in Nairobi in July 2012, and the East African Journalists Capacity Building Project (EAJA-CAP) with the East African Journalists Association, which ACBF is considering supporting”.
The aim according to the statement is to foster the emergence of a critical mass of high calibre professionals, which is indispensable for the establishment of a culture of media excellence in Africa.
The total cost of the project is $ 2,976,012, of which $ 2,105,000 will be provided by ACBF. The remainder of the funds $871,012 in total will be funded by WAJA through its other partners.
Comments are closed.