By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Independent Media Commission (IMC) of Sierra Leone, in a bid to streamline the advertisement sector in the country, has announced plans to revamp its Advertising Advisory Committee (AAC).
The Committee is mandated to adjudicate complaints and advice the commission with regards the rules outlined in the IMC Code of Practice. It also is responsible to handle registration and monitoring of institutions involved in the advertisement industry.
The AAC has been largely dormant since the establishment of the IMC. But the newly revived one, which is chaired by IMC Commissioner Dr. Frncis Sowa, has vowed to change the status quo. Other members of the committee include representatives of the umbrella Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, advertising agencies, the Association of Advertising Agencies in Sierra Leone, media institutions, and the Sierra Leone Bar Association. The Children’s Forum Network, the women’s rights advocacy organization, 50/50, as well as the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone, are also part of it.
Dr. Sowa told a forum organized last week to formally introduce the committee that its role was “very important” in that it’s geared towards ensuring that advertising is done responsibly and in a manner that represented societal values.
He said all players in the industry were expected to voluntarily comply by the rules, failing which they will face the wrath of the law.
“This is one of the committees which, when the (IMC) chairman took office, he decided to revitalize, because, unlike other committees, it has not been functional. So we want to outdoor a very important committee that will help to bring sanity within the advertising industry,” Sowa said.
He added: “The committee will start to look into unethical advertising. So, we are happy that even though we are launching through the media, we are first also letting the media to understand that it is not all kinds of adverts that should be broadcast or published.”
The Secretary General of the Association of the Advertising Agency Sierra Leone, Denis Nelson Streeter, hailed the development, noting that it will restore “sanity” in the industry.
“It is going to be an open invitation to all practicing advertisers. One or two things that we want to start hitting on the nail is that for you to be a member of the association, you have to be registered with the IMC,” said Streeter, adding: “Once you are registered with the IMC, we are hoping that you will also pay a membership fee with the association to take care of the administrative expenses because we intend not only to come together to form the framework and conduct of the industry, but would also be engaging in trainings and sharing of ethical provisions in the advertising industry.”
Streeter said the association will be launched before the end of August.
Dr. Sahr Emmanuel Gbamor, Head of Pharmaceuticals and Communications, Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone, lamented the fact that media institutions have been carrying out advertisements of pharmaceutical products without approval from the pharmacy board. He noted that they have two cases before the disciplinary committee in that regard, for which they have written to the IMC.
IMC Chairman, George Khoryama, officially launched the AAC. He said in a statement that setting up of the Committee was in conformity with the provisions in the Code of Practice, stressing that it’s mandated to identify complaints filed on advertising to the Commission and ensure compliance by marketers to the rules applying to the code.
“The term marketers as shown in the Code include advertisers, promoters, or direct advertisers,” said Mr Khoryama.
He explained that the committee would make recommendations to the IMC board in terms of fulfilling the policy objectives of advertising, which include ensuring that all advertising are truthful, honest, decent, legal and culturally acceptable, as stipulated by the advertising code of practice.
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