By Nasratu Kargbo
The President of Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL) Femi Jarrett Coker has called on the Ministry of Information and Communication and other stakeholders to help empower female journalists to build their professional abilities, especially in this post repeal era.
Speaking during the launch of the first series of training sessions for WIMSAL members Coker appealed for training opportunities, scholarships schemes, and resources, which according to her will go a long way in empowering members, especially those who wish to undertake further studies.
The President explained that training was part of her manifesto in her 2019 campaign. She said they printed out questionnaires to get the views of the women journalists on their training needs. The questionnaires were filled then returned. WIMSAL executive members took their time to go through each and every form in order to understand the needs of the members. This was what informed the executive to search for facilitators in the needed areas.
The President assured members that more training sessions will be rolled out for the rest of 2021.
Speaking on the budget, the President said the estimated budget for training in Freetown and the regions was Forty- Five Million Leones. She explained that requests were made to different institutions but they did not respond. She however, singled out Rokel Commercial Bank for coming to their aid by providing Fifteen Million Leones which was used to facilitate the training.
The President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) Ahmed Sahid Nasralla expressed delight for being part of such an initiative, stating that training is key if women are to compete for equal space in the media.
The President said there is a huge imbalance between women and men in the media, most specifically in terms of women occupying strategic positions. He explained that it is due to such male dominance that SLAJ has supported female journalists to help them get the skills to ensure that they do not just have more women, but qualified women.
Nasralla appealed to other corporate bodies to invest in the media. “When you invest in the media, you invest in democracy”, he stated.
The Chairman of the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) Dr. Francis Sowa said women in Sierra Leone including the journalists have not been given their rightful place in society due to several factors. Dr. Sowa said “there is no more time for excuses” stating that facilities have been provided.
He explained that WIMSAL has attacked the issue by empowering its members and added that the training is the biggest thing that has happened to WIMSAL.
Managing Director of the Rokel Commercial Bank Dr. Walton Ekundayo Gilpin said the more women are engaged in the economic development of the nation, the better society gets.
He said women have natural ability to multi-task and get things done, adding that when women set out to do something, they put in all their efforts in order to succeed.
He advised all beneficiaries to make use of the opportunity, stating that this is a way to help them to be better in their act of being journalists. The Director motivated them to do more, aim for higher achievements and believe in themselves.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (06/09/21)
