The 2019 edition of the West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA) opens at the Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotel in Accra, Ghana on Thursday, October 17.
The event, which is being held from October 17-19, is focusing on theme: Social Media, Fake News and Elections in Africa and will explore the impact of social media and fake news on elections in Africa. Discussions at the conference will seek to make key recommendations for good governance and media development..
WAMECA 2019 will host heads of election management bodies, senior police officials, editors, media experts, academics, freedom of expression advocates and high-profile personalities from across West Africa and beyond. Also present will be representatives from the AU, ECOWAS, high commissions/embassies, civil society organisations (CSOs) and international organisations.
The conference, which will begin Thursday, October 17, will be opened by Advocate Pansy Tlakula, Chairperson of the Information Regulator of South Africa and immediate past Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights.
The conference will also host key personalities including Jean Mensah, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Ahmed Newton Barry, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Burkina Faso, Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher/CEO of Premium Times in Nigeria, and Superintendent Gassimou Soumah, Deputy Public Relations Officer of Guinea National Police as panelists.
The Awards component, which will be held on Saturday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m., will reward outstanding journalists in West Africa whose works are impacting lives in society.
The Awards competition received over 700 entries from across 15 West African countries. A 5-member Jury of the Awards after a thorough review of the entries shortlisted 21 finalists from six countries who will be honoured at the Awards event.
West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA 2019) is supported by Facebook, MTN-Ghana, the US Embassy in Ghana, Access Now, DW Akademie, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Stanbic Bank and Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotel. The event is also supported by over 50 media partners across West Africa.
For more details on the event, visit www.mfwa.org/wameca.
