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Detention of Senegalese journalist : MFWA petitions UN bodies, AU and ECOWAS leaders

Kwaku Asante
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Detention of Senegalese journalist : MFWA petitions UN bodies, AU and ECOWAS leaders

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has petitioned a number of UN bodies, Africa Union and ECOWAS leaders to help release Senegalese journalist Pape Ale Niang who has been detained for over a month now.

“The journalist is on hunger strike and his health is failing. Consequently, we are requesting your intervention with the authorities in Senegal to help secure the release of the journalist to prevent further abuse of his rights and a possible fatal outcome,” the MFWA wrote in its petition to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Ms Irene Khan, the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay and the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Volker Türk.

The MFWA also petitioned the AU Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information; the Chairperson of the AU Commission; Chairperson of the Africa Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), alongside the ECOWAS Chairman and the President of the ECOWAS Commission. A similar petition was also addressed to the Ambassador and Head of the European Union delegation in Senegal as well as France, United States and United Kingdom Ambassadors in Senegal.

Niang is the managing editor of the privately-owned news website, DakarMatin and a regular panelist on socio-political programmes on radio and television in Dakar. The Senegalese police arrested and detained him on November 3, 2022, on the orders of the public prosecutor, Amady Diouf.

The arrest followed a publication about the trial for rape of a leading opposition politician, Ousmane Sonko, in which the journalist cited military sources. In a video published online, Pape Niang read a report which purportedly shows that the military had conducted investigations that absolved the politician from the rape allegation. On November 9, 2022, the judicial authorities granted the police authorisation to continue to keep Niang in detention after formally charging him. He was charged with revealing information likely to undermine national defense, possessing military documents, and disseminating false news likely to discredit public institutions. The journalist has denied the charges.

The MFWA argues in its petition that Pape Niang merely made public the content of a document that has a bearing on the trial of a public figure, which is a matter of public interest.

It also said the authorities have failed to establish their claims of undermining national security to meet international norms for restricting the right to free expression. Citing the United Nations Human Rights Committee (general comment No. 34, para. 35), the MFWA said States invoking public safety or national security reasons to restrict freedom of expression must establish a direct and immediate connection between the expression and the said threat. “Incidentally, the Senegalese public, whose security the government is supposed to be protecting, have mobilised massively in support of the journalist,” the petition said.

The MFWA also cited the deteriorating health of Pape Ale Niang who is on hunger strike and called on the various authorities petitioned to intervene to help secure the journalist’s release. Read the full petition here.

Meet the journalists selected for the Climate Change Journalism Fellowship

Kwaku Asante
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Meet the journalists selected for the Climate Change Journalism Fellowship

The call for application for the Climate Change Journalism Fellowship (CCJF) programme received over 400 entries from the ten 10 countries in West Africa where the applications were announced.

The Media Foundation for West Africa selected 10 journalists, five females and five males, out of the entries that were received. Thus, one journalist was admitted from each of the countries- Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Nigeria and Ghana. The journalists were selected through a highly competitive process.

The Climate Change Journalism Fellowship (CCJF) is a new initiative by the MFWA to promote climate change awareness and responses through increased and quality media reporting and public education on the ongoing climate crisis and its related effects across West Africa.

The selected journalists will go through an intensive five-month training and mentorship programme beginning with a two-month virtual training and a three-month residential programme in Accra, Ghana. The CCJF includes practical investigations and publications with Fact-Check Ghana and The Fourth Estate journalism projects of the MFWA.

Here are the profiles of 10 journalists admitted into the maiden edition of the CCJF:

Daouda Sow, Senegal

Daouda Sow is a Senegalese journalist with ten years of experience. He is the editor-in-chief for the Dakar office of Medi1 TV, a Moroccan television channel with a pan-African focus.

For several years, Daouda has been interested in issues related to climate change, sustainable development and environmental preservation. He has received awards for his work on these issues.

Considering himself an eternal learner, he seeks on a daily basis to strengthen his knowledge and experience on climate change-related issues, climate finance, climate negotiations, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the climate fund, biodiversity, energy, the oceans, and more.

Nana Samake, Mali

Nana Samake holds a Master’s degree in journalism and communication. After obtaining her degree in 2016, she joined Kledu radio, Mali’s first private radio. She is currently a reporter, producer, and presenter for the radio station.

For the past two years, she has been working on issues related to health, where she has really become aware of the damage caused by climate change in her country and in the world.

Nana Samake, wishes to be part of those who are entrusted to raise awareness on the challenges of climate change.

Rodrigue Fulbert Adjimèhossou, Benin

Fulbert Adjimèhossou is a journalist who has made the environment his main focus for a decade. With a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences, his journalism focuses on issues related to ecology, climate, water and health.

After six years at the Fraternité press group, he joined the Benin national daily newspaper La Nation in July 2021. He’s currently the Secretary General of the Media Network for Water, Environment and Climate (RAMEC-Benin) and also a very active scientific fact-checker in CFI’s Désinfox Afrique programme.

He is a member of the African Journalists Network on Sustainable Development and Climate Change set up by Africa21 and has won several awards, including the African Climate Change and Environment Reporting (Accer) Awards in 2018 and 2022.

Madina Belemviré, Burkina Faso

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information and Communication Science and works as a journalist specialising in health issues with particular focus on sexual and reproductive health (SRH).

Madina previously worked for the online newspaper Les Echos du Faso. In the quest for quality information in the collection and processing of information, she has worked with various political and cultural actors, as well as actors in climate, economy, education and health sectors.

Madina has over the years focused her investigative journalism efforts on the various conditions of health and has extended her works to virtual platforms that have become forums for discussion of sexual and reproductive health issues. Thus, in 2020, she created Bulletin Santé, which is the first online media in Burkina Faso dealing exclusively with health issues in general. It is a valuable tool for community outreach, especially for women, youth and adolescents.

Her aim is to contribute to the prevention and reduction of obstacles that hinder the access of young people/adolescents and girls to their SRH rights in order to achieve individual and collective well-being.

Mawuédem Koffi Akotoh, Togo

Being a journalist has been Mawuédem Koffi Akotoh’s childhood dream. His career started after an internship at the Togolese online newspaper icilome.com, his current employer.

Mawuédem Koffi Akotoh is also a freelancer with IJNet Français, the Washington-based International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) resource site available in eight languages.

Before working for these media outlets, he made his debut in journalism with Togotopnews.

Mawuédem believes that journalists have an important role to play in addressing the many challenges associated with climate change.

Aïssata Sidibé, Guinea

Aïssata Sidibé is a journalist at RTG (Radio Télévision Guinéenne) who is passionate about environmental issues. She is especially aware of the climate issues affecting her country, Guinea, and the sub-region in general. Her interest in the environment in general and the climate in particular stems from the fact that Africa is currently facing several challenges, particularly with regard to access to drinking water, insalubrity, pollution, coastal erosion, drought, famine, deforestation, biodiversity degradation and conflicts.

 To rise to these challenges, she decided to use her pen for the cause by contributing for several years to the change of mentality through reports, magazines, programmes and documentaries.

In line with her interest, Aïssata founded the first Health-Environment TV, web TV available on social networks in 2021. For her, the media have the power to make impactful changes. She is also very active in several civil society organisations working in the environmental field as a volunteer in charge of communication. For her, time is of the essence, it is no longer enough to talk, we must act now and quickly!

Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe, Ghana

Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe is a journalist with Kumasi-based radio station, Luv FM, a subsidiary of the Multimedia Group Limited in Ghana. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and served as a teaching and research assistant at the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology.

He is particularly enthused about pursuing a career in science journalism with hopes of becoming an illustrious Science Journalist. Emmanuel is passionate about bridging the seeming lasting gap existing between science and the Ghanaian society through journalism. He believes propagating the usefulness and advantages of African science and research would contribute to policy-making and facilitate in changing the continent’s status quo.

Janet Ogundepo, Nigeria

Janet Ogundepo is a correspondent with Nigeria’s most widely read Newspaper, Punch Newspapers. She is a Communication and Language Arts graduate from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. She is currently on the Features desk but writes news stories and conducts issue-based interviews and analyses. Her stories grace the cover and early pages of Saturday and Sunday PUNCH.

Her wide range of experts and sources across several fields has helped her to write credible, factual and in-depth stories.

Ogundepo’s passion for a healthy environment is the motivation behind several upcycling, recycling and anti-plastic advocacy stories.

She currently has three nominations from local and international organisations.

Oumar Adamou, Niger

For Oumar, the consequences of climate change on his country, namely floods and bushfires, motivate his interest in training on climate change.

He works for the Office National d’Édition et de Presse du Niger, the government print media with the editions “Le Sahel” and “Sahel Dimanche”. He hopes that his work as a journalist will help save lives in the face of the serious threats of climate change.

Oumar believes that fellowship will help him understand the issues surrounding climate change. He also believes that by the end of the training, he will have the skills to report on climate change, which will lead to important decisions being made.

Délorès Pie, Côte d’Ivoire

A trained lawyer, Délorès has held various positions in different companies but her passion for writing led her to journalism at Le Média Citoyen in 2019.  Since then, she’s become conscious of the impact journalism can have on society and how it can contribute to improving governance and the lives of citizens.

Délorès has focused her journalism on human rights and environmental issues because she believes that in the face of the climate emergency, journalists have a duty to raise awareness through their work and not to remain silent.

Délorès advocates a more just and equitable society where people, whomever they may be, can enjoy their rights in complete freedom.

MFWA partners CHRAJ, EU and UN to mark International Human Rights Day 2022

Kwaku Asante
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MFWA partners CHRAJ, EU and UN to mark International Human Rights Day 2022

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in partnership with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), will on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, convene a public forum to mark this year’s International Human Rights Day.

The Forum, funded by the European Union and UN in Ghana, will be held under the theme: ‘The State of Human Rights in Ghana: Progress, Challenges and Way Forward’. About 150 participants from across women/youth groups, the diplomatic corps, public/state institutions, religious institutions, UN Agencies, academia, civil society and the media will deliberate on the current state of human rights in Ghana. The participants will proffer more effective ways of ensuring government accountability for human rights abuses and an enabling environment that ensures every Ghanaian enjoys equal rights.

The Forum will be chaired by the Commissioner of CHRAJ, Joseph Whittal, and feature a keynote speech by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame. There will also be statements from the National Commission for Civic Education, the UN in Ghana, the EU, as well as a panel discussion featuring representatives from the Ghana Prisons Service, the Media Foundation for West Africa, the UN and POS Foundation.

The Forum will also hold a panel discussion to seek present specific views in relation to freedom of expression, the press and challenges within the civic space and government’s commitments to recommendations made by UPR reports with specifics to gender equality and disability rights. Actionable recommendations on how to improve the human rights situation in Ghana suggested during the discussion will be documented and published.

There will also be a special Young Persons’ lab hosted by the UN in Ghana where young persons will engage in conversations on the human rights situation and its impact on them, especially with regard to digital spaces.

The Forum will be held at the British Council Auditorium in Accra, Ghana and will be broadcast live on Joy FM 99.7 with live streaming on the Facebook pages of the MFWA, EU-Ghana and the UN in Ghana.

Existing Digital Gender Gap Sabotaging Online Rights of Sierra Leonean Women

Vivian Affoah
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Existing Digital Gender Gap Sabotaging Online Rights of Sierra Leonean Women

Women in Sierra Leone, like women everywhere else in the world, face the digital gender gap that fraught the global community. However, in their front of the global challenge, Sierra Leonean women also deal with peculiar dimensions of the digital rights problem that further sabotage their online rights.

In the whole of West Africa, Sierra Leone is rated as the lowest in terms of broadband usage with the militating factors mainly being poor and restrictive licensing regimes that dissuade telecommunications companies from setting up and expanding into the country. Consequently, mobile penetration is only 50% with mobile internet subscription at 24%.

Given that women form more than half of Sierra Leone’s population and 50% of the population live in the rural areas, the poor broadband situation which makes access to good telecommunications services hard enough for city dwellers, translates into even more dire bottleneck for rural women in terms of access to the digital space. On the basis of poor access alone, many Sierra Leonean women cannot be online, let alone exercise their digital rights.

But even where there is access, women are still disadvantaged. High cost of data, and the high cost of digital and mobile devices such as computers and mobile phones are key challenges that affect their right to access.

Then there are the issues of cyber bullying, poor privacy and safety features of cyber platforms and cyber attacks which disproportionately affect women.

Many women are also unable to optimally use digital tools even where they can afford to be online because of poor digital skills and for some women, vulnerability to the theft and misuse of their personal data scares them offline.

The policy environment for women and digital rights is improving though. A Gender and Women’s Empowerment Bill has been enacted after years of advocacy and lobbying and is currently before Parliament for passage into law

Also, in 2021, a Cyber Security and Crime Act was passed into law to regulate the cyber space and thus safeguard privacy rights that Sierra Leone’s constitution guarantees. The downside however is that the Act does not make specific provisions for the protection of women.

Again, a Data Protection Bill is before Parliament; once it is passed it will compliment the Cyber Security and Crime Act.

Sierra Leone, like all countries with active telecommunications industry also has a Universal Access Development Fund, even though the Fund is not adequate.

While commending government’s efforts, this report makes a number of recommendations on what government and the telecommunications companies can do to improve the situation. For example, it recommends that government tame high taxes on telecommunication services.

It also recommends that a data policy, that engenders data protection and data ownership be evolved quickly by government, even as telecommunication companies invest in infrastructure to expand connectivity.

Please access the full report here.

High cost of data a major constraint against women going online in Liberia

Vivian Affoah
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High cost of data a major constraint against women going online in Liberia

In the last 20 years, Liberia has taken many strides towards the enhancement of women’s rights in general. The positive progress, which has mainly been in the form of policies, has had a good general effect, including, on women’s digital rights.

However, specifically in terms of women’s online rights, there are gaps that remain in the success story due to challenges. Probably the most crucial of these challenges is the high cost of data.

As this report brings into attention, Liberia does not meet the standards of the United Nation’s Broadband Commission’s Affordability benchmark. On average, data costs as much as 40% of the monthly income of the average Liberian.

Again, cost of digital and mobile devices, such as handsets is prohibitive to the average Liberian.

Given that women in Liberia, like anywhere else in the world face gender pay inequality, the high cost of data naturally translates into an inhibition to the cyber space that disproportionately affect women.

Aside these issues, Liberian women also face the usual difficulties that frustrate women globally online – they disproportionately face online bullying, are disproportionately at risk of having their privacy violated and personal data misused and comparatively, have least proficiency in digital skills.

Consequently, out of some 1.15million Liberians who are online, the majority are men. In Liberia men are 49 times more likely to be online than women. Liberia is 95th among 100 nations in respect of internet gender gap.

This being the situation, it is commendable that the Liberian government has generally nurtured in place, an environment that supports women’s empowerment in general. The policy environment is generally good for women’s empowerment thanks, among other things, to a National Gender Policy.

Also, the UN Women’s Orange Foundation is engendering good progress with its digital inclusion for women’s empowerment program (D4WEE). The ICT Act which the government enacted to govern the cyber space is commendable as well, even though there is the need to bolster it with a cyber security law.

Given the existing gaps in the policy environment, it is recommended that the government takes steps to improve on the weak links. Among these is the need to hasten the implementation of an information and communications technology guideline which has been scheduled for a five-year rollout ending 2024, but has not commenced.

Because the policy is programmed to drive women’s inclusion and participation in the digital space, it will serve the interest of women’s digital rights when it is implemented.

Civil society organizations and other stakeholders, including the media, are also urged to increase advocacy for improvement in women’s digital and online rights in Liberia.

The full report can be accessed here.

Struggling Guinea Bissau media hit with crippling licence fees

Kwaku Asante
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Struggling Guinea Bissau media hit with crippling licence fees

The Media Foundation for West Africa calls on the authorities in Guinea Bissau to review the recently announced regulatory fees for the operation of media in the country, as the increased tariffs risk decimating the already fragile media sector.

Fees for acquiring initial licence for commercial television with national coverage saw over 7000% increase – from 7 million CFA Francs to 500 million CFA Francs, with renewal going for 125 million CFA Francs, up from 1 million.

Licence to operate a radio station with a national coverage also went from 1.5 million CFA francs to 10 million. Renewal for this category also shot up from 250, 000 CFA Francs to 2.5 million a whopping 900%.

For community/religious radio, the initial licence fee is now 3 million CFA Francs, up from 250,000. Renewal fees also increased from 250,000 CFA Francs to 750,000.

“The lack of political stability in Guinea Bissau over the years has greatly hampered the country’s economic development. This has naturally affected the media sector which is barely surviving on a tiny advertising market. The massive hike in regulatory fees for the media, will therefore further weaken the sector financially. Some media houses might be forced to close, and further investment in the sector could be discouraged. The hike will have adverse consequences for the public’s right to information. We, therefore, urge the authorities to reduce the fees”, said Muheeb Saeed, MFWA’s Programme Manager for Freedom of Expression.

In what is seen as a possible final nail in the coffin of the beleaguered media in Guinea Bissau, the Ministries of Social Communication and Finance on November 18, 2022, jointly published a statement on the new media regulatory fees for operating audiovisual and print media. The new measure is based on the new media law N-13/2022 for Licensing and Granting of Broadcasting License which was adopted by the Cabinet on June 2022.

This licencing regime is indeed a grave threat to media freedom and access to information in Guinea Bissau.

The media does not receive the budgetary allocation from the government as stipulated in the law on the Telecommunication Tax. The Parliament of Guinea-Bissau adopted the new tax on telecommunication as a fiscal measure to raise funds to boost public investment and to improve the national media.

While the expected investment and its effectiveness is yet to be felt, this new measure has come to add to the problems faced by the media, with many outlets risking closure.

About 29% of the media organisations are operating in rented buildings, paying monthly rents ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 CFA francs.  For Community radio stations, however, 75% of them are unable to collect more than 80,000 CFA francs in various incomes from services such as advertising spots, press releases, and partner radio programmes.  Only 30% of the private media organisation have the capacity to generate a monthly income of about 1.5 million CFA francs which is used for the running costs of the stations.

The situation is even more complicated for private organisations, with monthly rental costs that can reach up to 250,000 CFA francs. Add the costs of electricity, water, internet data and telephone, and you have a sad picture of a financially stressed sector.

Considering this reality about the current media situation in Guinea-Bissau, this measure would expose the exercise of press freedom and freedom of expression in the country.

On April 7, 2022, the government shut down 79 radio stations over failure to regularise their broadcast licence status. A 72-hour deadline given by the Minister for Communications, Fernando Mendonça, initially targeted 88 radio stations but nine of them managed to meet the deadline.

All but one of affected radio stations resumed broadcasting after the government of Guinea Bissau agreed to allow staggered payment of the debts. The arrangement followed an engagement on April 13, 2022, between a delegation made up of the MFWA and its partners in Guinea Bissau and government officials.

The hike in fees has, therefore, been met with concern and disappointment among industry players.  António Nhaga, the President of the Order of Journalists of Guinea-Bissau, says the government must first create a business policy for the Guinean media, instead of taking measures that can undermine the exercise of press freedom in Guinea-Bissau. He described the new tariffs as unfortunate.

 “I consider unfortunate the latest joint order of the government on the new measures for granting licences for the operation of media channels in the country,” Nhaga lamented in a chat with the MFWA.

Since 2021, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) with funding support from the European Union has been implementing the media freedom project in Guinea Bissau. The project’s overall objective is to ensure that journalists and other media actors in Guinea Bissau are safe and secure, and produce ethically appropriate, timely, and fact-based journalistic content that fosters peaceful co-existence and enables public access to quality information in an environmentally sustainable manner.

The MFWA has since the project’s commencement engaged state actors in an inception meeting where they expressed commitment towards achieving the project objectives and also improving the freedom of expression landscape in Guinea Bissau. Also under the project, 80 participants drawn from the Ministry of Social Communication, the military, the police, the National Media Council, the National Regulatory Authority, the National Human Rights Commission and the judiciary participated in training workshops on and also validated a tailored training manual on human and media rights issues and freedom of expression in Guinea Bissau in October 2022.

It is in this context, the MFWA is calling on the President, the Ministers of Social Communication and Finance as well as the National Media Council and state actors to consider the concerns raised by the media actors in the spirit of engagements and commitment towards improving the media sectors in Guinea Bissau

We, therefore, join the media fraternity in Guinea Bissau to demand a stakeholder consultation not only to review the new regulatory tariffs but also to chart a course towards developing the media sector to make it viable and sustainable

Climate Change Journalism Fellowship: 10 Journalists Selected from 10 West African Countries

Kwaku Asante
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Climate Change Journalism Fellowship: 10 Journalists Selected from 10 West African Countries

Ten West African journalists have been selected for the 2022 Climate Change Journalism Fellowship (CCJF) of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA). The 10 journalists who were selected through a highly competitive process are made up of five females and five males, with one Fellow each from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Nigeria and Ghana.

The Fellowship is a new initiative by the MFWA to promote climate change awareness and responses through increased and quality media reporting and public education on the ongoing climate crisis and its related effects across West Africa.

Participants will go through an intensive five-month training and mentorship programme beginning with a two-month virtual training and a three-month residential programme in Accra, Ghana. The Fellowship includes practical investigations and publications with Fact-Check Ghana and The Fourth Estate journalism projects of the MFWA.

During the period, Fellows will undertake rigorous investigations and fact-checking of issues related to climate change and associated challenges in their respective countries. Training sessions will be delivered by climate change experts from different backgrounds and institutions, and experienced journalists in the environment and climate change field.

Fellows will receive intensive practical training to be able to conduct critical, high-quality, fact-based, and in-depth reporting towards improving lives and access to information regarding climate-related issues. Each Fellow will deliver at least two significant reports by end of the Fellowship and will receive a Certificate of Honour upon successful completion of the fellowship.

At the end of the Fellowship, the 10 Fellows will serve as the foundation members of a West Africa Regional Climate Change Journalism Network.

In this maiden edition of the Fellowship, the MFWA received over 400 applications from 11 countries.  This maiden edition of the Fellowship is being supported by the Deutsche Welle Akademie (DW Akademie).

Below is the list of the 2022 Fellows:

  1. Mawuédem Koffi Akotoh (Togo)
  2. Daouda Sow (Senegal)
  3. Adjimehossou Rodrigue Fulbert (Benin)
  4. Oumar Issoufou Adamou (Niger)
  5. Nana Samake (Mali)
  6. Sidibe Aissata (Guinea)
  7. Délorès Pie (Côte d’Ivoire)
  8. Madina Belemviré (Burkina Faso)
  9. Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe (Ghana)
  10. Janet Ogundepo (Nigeria)

Join the praise-singing or hold your tongue: The new normal for the media in Mali

Kwaku Asante
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Join the praise-singing or hold your tongue: The new normal for the media in Mali

You are either with the government, or you self-censor. This is the state of press freedom and freedom of expression in Mali under the current transitional government.

The above sums up the dilemma journalists and communication professionals face in Mali, a West African country plagued with terror attacks and saddled with a delicate political situation.

The kidnapping of French journalist, Olivier Dubois, by a group of terrorists on April 8, 2020, exemplifies the insecurity that Malian journalists face. A contributor to the Le Point, Jeune Afrique and Libération newspapers, Dubois was abducted in Gao (Mali) and continues to be held captive by his captors one year and six months after his abduction.

In view of the precarious security situation and the ever-deteriorating press freedom environment, Malian journalists are constrained to ply their vocation with extreme caution, anxious not to provoke the government or the rebels. As a result, the country recorded only three press freedom violations in the first half of 2022, the relatively few violations being the result of self-censorship induced by fear rather than a conducive press freedom environment.

In the first incident recorded in January 2022, the Malian authorities announced new and more stringent accreditation requirements for foreign media correspondents who enter the country to work.

On February 7, 2022, the military junta expelled Benjamin Roger, a French journalist for Jeune Afrique, less than 24 hours after his arrival in Bamako. The authorities blamed the special correspondent for not obtaining the necessary work permit, an accreditation that was until then rarely required.

Benjamin Roger, French Journalist for Jeune Afrique, was expelled from Mali less than 24 hrs after arriving in the country

On March 16, 2022, the authorities suspended the French stations, France 24 and RFI,  over accusations of broadcasting “allegations of abuses committed by the Malian armed forces (FAMa).”

These three incidents, in 2022, earned Mali the sixth place out of a ranking of eight countries in a Freedom of Expression Monitor by the MFWA.

Mistrust hangs over the press community in Mali, even though no violations were recorded in the second quarter (April-June 2022).

Although no journalists have been prosecuted over their work, self-censorship has unfortunately become a reality, according to freelance journalist Idrissa Samaké.

“We are not directly targeted, but everything we publish is closely monitored. This is why, out of fear of being questioned, we refrain from talking about certain realities, but prefer to talk often about subjects such as ‘the rise in power of the army advocated by the authorities.’ We also fear that certain information implicating the Fama will demoralize the troops in their fight against terrorism.”

Most newspapers that were once opposed to the government have changed their tune due to fear of reprisal by the authorities.

This situation was the subject of an editorial on Joliba TV on September 30, 2022. The station lamented what it called a culture of “pensée unique” (one-track thinking). Taking an opposite stance to the rapturous applause Mali’s Prime Minister received for his speech at the UN General Assembly, the TV station, in its editorial presented by Mohamed Halidou Taher, said the tone and posture of Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga were hostile and undiplomatic.

And as if to confirm Joliba TV’s lamentation that the authorities are imposing a one-track thinking culture on Malians, the country’s media regulator took the media organisation to task over the defiant editorial.

On October 12, 2022, the High Authority for Communication (HAC), issued a letter to the television channel accusing it of making defamatory statements and baseless accusations against it (the HAC), against the state of freedom of expression in Mali and the transitional government.

The HAC said Joliba TV’s “Editorial” programme contained “unfounded allegations and defamatory passages. It, therefore, violates the ethics and deontology of journalism.” The regulator referred to Article 2 of the law on private audiovisual communication services (law n° 2012-019 of March 12, 2012).

“The show often makes use of expressions with strong pejorative connotations when referring to the action of the Transitional authorities,” according to the HAC which summoned the presenter to respond to accusations.

The HAC’s action provoked strong reactions from press organisations in Mali, which did not mince words in condemning it. The press organizations also expressed their support for the TV channel.

This suffocating press freedom environment is not surprising though, given a decree that was introduced in 2020. During a cabinet meeting held on December 18, 2020, Mali’s military authorities approved the decree that read: “relevant administrative authorities are empowered to take all appropriate measures to ensure the control of the press and publications of all kinds, social networks, as well as radio or television broadcasts, film screenings and theatrical performances.”

The measure was taken under the pretext of curbing insecurity and the wild spread of the coronavirus disease in several urban areas of Mali.

Freedom of expression

While journalists preferred to remain silent to escape the wrath of the authorities, activists and other brave citizens who dared to exercise their right to free expression have paid heavy prices. Activist Abdoul Niang was arrested on August 5, 2021, and placed under a committal order, ostensibly as part of an investigation into the 2016 disappearance of Birama Touré, a Malian journalist.

Issa N’Kaou Djim, third vice-president of the National Transitional Council (Conseil national de transition, CNT), was imprisoned and subsequently disbarred from the CNT following his criticism of Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga.

Leader of the opposition political party, Solidarité Africaine pour la Démocratie et l’Indépendance (SADI), Oumar Mariko, also found himself in a similar situation in December 2021 when he was questioned for making ‘insulting remarks’ against Prime Minister Choguel Maïga.

Mariko was slapped with a lawsuit in April 2022 after he accused the army of abuses during a political meeting, a case that forced him into hiding after members of Mali’s security forces stormed his home to arrest him. When the soldiers did not find the politician at his home, they proceeded to set up surveillance after seizing the mobile phones of his family members

These developments define the appalling state of freedom of expression and opinion under the current military junta. This is not to mention the fact that the infamous decree introduced in 2020 allows the authorities to regulate or prohibit public processions, parades, gatherings and demonstrations.

The military authorities justify these draconian measures as imperative under Article 13 of Law No. 2017-055 of the country’s emergency laws of 06 November 2019.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is deeply concerned about the state of freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Mali and calls on the authorities to adopt a more tolerant and conciliatory stance towards the press and dissenting voices. We also call on the transitional government to allow all Malians to express themselves on national issues without fear in order to achieve an inclusive transition.

Finally, the MFWA urges the media to maintain professionalism at all times.

Senegal: Journalist Pape Alé Niang arrested, charged for revealing military secret

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Senegal: Journalist Pape Alé Niang arrested, charged for revealing military secret

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the arrest, detention and subsequent indictment of journalist Pape Alé Niang, director of the privately-owned news website, DakarMatin. We urge the Senegalese authorities to release the journalist unconditionally and drop all charges against him.

On November 9, 2022, the judicial authorities granted the police authorization to keep Niang in detention after indicting him. The journalist had already spent three days in detention before the indictment.

The journalist is prosecuted for revealing information likely to harm national defence, possessing administrative and military documents, and disseminating false news likely to discredit public institutions, according to the authorities.

Famous in Senegal for his regular columns on current affairs, Niang was arrested on the orders of the public prosecutor, Amady Diouf. The prosecutor said Niang has repeatedly made unfounded allegations against the defence and security forces for some time and that the journalist has also been attacking the country’s defence establishment.

The accusations relate to a November 3, 2022, publication by the journalist in which he alleged that the military had tampered with the outcome of their investigations into rape allegations against Ousmane Sonko, a top politician.

“He is accused of disclosing information of a military nature without authorisation of the military and information likely to harm national defence. In addition, he is accused of acts that are likely to disturb public order, to create disturbances that could hinder the normal functioning of institutions and finally of breaching professional secrecy,” explains Esq. Ciré Clésdor Ly, Pape Alé Niang’s lawyer, who also denounces a blatant infringement on press freedom and freedom of expression.

According to Pierre Aloba Diémé, a journalist with DakarMatin, who spoke to the MFWA on phone, Pape Niang was arrested in town without an arrest warrant on November 6, 2022, and taken into custody the same day at the Dakar central police station.

Niang’s arrest has provoked indignation among the majority of the press in Senegal and organisations defending journalists’ rights. The Coordination of Press Associations (CAP) and the Syndicat des professionnels de l’information et de la communication du Sénégal (SYNPICS), MFWA’s partner in Senegal, have expressed full support for the journalist.

The MFWA joins media organisations in Senegal to demand the immediate release of the journalist who should not have been detained. We urge the Senegalese authorities to abide by the country’s constitution which guarantees press freedom.

The allegations by journalists can be challenged with a rejoinder or reported to the media regulator for a determination. To summarily declare a publication as false news and, therefore, deem it a crime and proceed to punish the author is an abuse of power.

We, therefore, call on the Senegalese authorities to ensure that journalists and all media outlets in Senegal can carry out their work free from intimidation, harassment and any alienation of their fundamental right to freedom of expression and press freedom.

Senegal: MFWA welcomes the resumption of Le Soleil newspaper

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Senegal: MFWA welcomes the resumption of Le Soleil newspaper

Senegal’s oldest public daily, Le Soleil, has almost moved on from the Police brutalization that its journalists suffered on August 4, 2022, during a three-day strike on the newspaper’s premises to voice their frustration against mismanagement.

It took mediation by the newspaper’s regular readers and the country’s authorities, including the Ministry of Communication, to get the journalists to end the strike and resume publication on August 10, 2022.

In its opening issue after the strike, the newspaper’s management apologised to its readers for what it described as “incidents”.

“Dear readers, we have not been able to make your newspaper available to you over the past few days. You may have followed the incidents that led to this situation, which was caused by disagreements between the Managing Editor and the staff. We sincerely regret this blunder, which has certainly caused harm to the state, our readers, and our advertisers,” the newspaper said in the August 10, 2022 issue.

“This is a first in our history of almost fifty years and we hope never to experience such a situation again. We apologise to our readers, our partners, and the State of Senegal, whose support has never failed us. We reiterate, finally, our commitment to always offer a newspaper that serves all audiences,” added on the front page of its issue after the strike that ended in tragedy.

According to Ndiol Makka Seck, a journalist with whom the MFWA spoke by phone, the strike was against the unconventional management of the daily newspaper by the Managing Editor, Yakham Mbaye, who has been at the helm since October 2017. The journalists were also said to be on strike because of unpaid advertisement bonuses, unfair layoffs, and cases of mismanagement, among others.

Ndiol Makka Seck, who is also the spokesperson for the staff, further explained that he and his colleagues had no option but to go on strike. The journalists had, for several months, tried without success to seize the Labour Directorate and other institutions in quest of solution to their complaints.

On August 4, 2022, a general assembly was held as part of the strike at the premises of the newspaper.  However, the peaceful demonstration quickly turned violent when police officers unexpectedly stormed the newspaper’s premises and used tear gas to disperse the journalists. As a result, two journalists were rushed to the hospital and eleven others were arrested. According to the some of the arrested journalists, who were released on the same day, and Ndiol Makka Seck, the officers intervened on the orders of the Managing Editor.

Mr. Makka Seck explains that the situation remains tense days after the daily newspaper Le Soleil resumed publication.

“The Manager Director no longer comes to work at Le Soleil, he works from home, and relations have deteriorated between the workers and the administration,” he said.

The Syndicat des Professionnels de l’Information et de la Communication du Sénégal (SYNPICS), an influential press union in Sénégal, has expressed full support to the journalists and condemned the incident in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

“These workers were only wrong to apply an internationally ecognized right, the right to demonstration. This was in protest against the unconventional management of Mr. Yakham Mbaye and the disregard he has always had for the workers of the Astre de Hann,” the statement says.

The union also called on President Macky Sall, “to ensure that this situation at the local newsroom Le Soleil is resolved as quickly as possible, so that the workers can return to their homes and work peacefully.”

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) welcomes the resumption of publication by the daily newspaper Le Soleil, and strongly condemns the brutal, abusive, and ignominious treatment police officers meted out to these journalists. Although they resumed their duties after a plea from the authorities and some of their regular readers, we urge the government and the newspaper’s shareholders to take disciplinary action against the perpetrators of the abuses against the journalists.

These journalists, who are also citizens of the Senegalese state, were simply exercising their rights to protest and express opinion. The violent repression of this right speaks volumes about the environment in which they work. We strongly urge the Managing Editor of Le Soleil and the Senegalese authorities to refrain from violating the rights of these citizens and to favor dialogue to reach an agreement.

International Day to End Impunity – Authorities must find and punish killers, abusers of journalists

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International Day to End Impunity – Authorities must find and punish killers, abusers of journalists

As the world marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) expresses solidarity with journalists subjected to severe acts of brutality. Our hearts go out in genuine sympathy with the relatives, friends and colleagues of journalists murdered in the line of duty or for their work, and wish those surviving traumatic conditions complete recovery.

To mark the day, the MFWA is hereby highlighting cases of impunity for killings, kidnapping and brutal assault against journalists recorded across West Africa over the past five years. This initiative is in line with Indicator 16.10.1. of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 16.10 which focuses on the need to keep records on the “number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists, associated media personnel, trade unionists and human rights advocates in the previous 12 months.

Unresolved Killings

Ikechukwu Onubogu worked with Anambra Broadcasting Services in Nigeria

Ikechukwu Onubogu, a cameraman with the Anambra Broadcasting Services in Nigeria, was found dead on November 16, four days after he was reported missing by his family. Onubogu had picked up his camera and left home in response to a phone call from an unknown person.

Lawrence Okojie of the Nigeria Television Authority while returning from work

Lawrence Okojie, a journalist with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), in Edo State, Nigeria. Shot dead after dropping off a bus at a junction near his home. He was returning from work on July 8, 2017.

Famous Giobaro was killed at his residence

Famous Giobaro, a desk editor with Glory FM in Bayelsa State, was shot dead by unknown gunmen at his residence on April 16, 2017.

Abdul Ganiyu Lawal was a popular radio presenter

Abdul Ganiyu Lawal, a popular radio presenter in Ekiti State was found dead with bullet wounds at his Apepe Farm Settlement in Araromi Oke in Ekiti East Local Government Area on November 23, 2017.

Maxwell Nashan was found dead while tied and muzzled. Source: Nairaland

Maxwell Nashan, a journalist with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Adamawa State was, found tied and muzzled in a bush with his body hacked at several places. He died on arrival at the hospital on January 15, 2019. He had been abducted from his house the previous day.

Alex Ogbu was a reporter with Regent African Times in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja

Alex Ogbu, a reporter with Regent African Times in Abuja, was killed by a stray bullet from the Police who had clashed with protesting members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) on January 28, 2020.

Precious Owolabi Source: PM News

Precious Owolabi, a reporter with the Channels Television, died of his injuries after he was hit by a bullet while covering a protest on July 22, 2019, in Abuja. Assaulted and taken away in a police car alongside some arrested protesters on October 24, 2020, Pelumi Onifade, who was covering the #EndSARS protests for Gboah TV, an online was found dead a week later in a mortuary in Ikorodu Lagos.

David Beriain and Roberto Fraile

In Burkina Faso, reporter David Beriain and cameraman Roberto Fraile, both Spanish nationals, were shot dead by suspected jihadist rebels in Burkina Faso on April 26, 2021. The armed group opened fire on a convoy of soldiers who accompanied the journalists to shoot a documentary at a national park.

Ahmed Hussein Suale was gunned down by unknown assailants on January 16, 2019 in Accra, Ghana

On January 16, 2019, an investigative journalist, Ahmed Suale, was murdered in cold blood in Accra, Ghana, with the perpetrators yet to be found.

Brutal Attacks

On March 27, 2018, a police officer brutally attacked Latif Iddris, a reporter from Joy News, one of the platforms of the Multimedia Group based in Accra.

Latif Iddrisu suffered a fractured skull after he was brutalised by the police

Latif Iddris had gone to cover protests at the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, where a leading member of Ghana’s main opposition party was being held on treason charges. The journalist was kicked, hit in the rib and on the head by several police officers, some with the butt of their guns. Iddris had his skull broken in the attack.

Zenu Miller died three weeks after he was manhandled by officers of the Executive Protection Service in Liberia 

Zenu Miller, a presenter with the privately-owned Okay FM based in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, was brutally assaulted by officers of the Executive Protection Service (EPS), President Weah’s elite bodyguards on January 26, 2020. He was covering a football match at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex. The journalist was covering the final of a football match. The radio presenter sought medical treatment for chest and body pains the following morning. He subsequently missed several days of work as he pursued treatment before fully resuming.

On February 15, 2020, exactly 21 days after the assault, the journalist died. He was rushed to the hospital after a sudden deterioration in his condition but was pronounced dead a few hours after admission.

Oludare Richards, a reporter for The Guardian newspaper, was brutalised by security agents on November 12, 2019. He was covering a demonstration at the headquarters of the State Security Services (SSS). Photos of the bleeding Oludare with his blood-stained badge on his chest went viral.

On April 2, 2020, a military officer in Sierra Leone brutalized Fayia Amara Fayia, a journalist with Standard Times newspaper and seized his phone. The journalist had gone to a suspected COVID-19 quarantine venue to report on activities. Having been denied entry into the facility together with other journalists present, Fayia decided to take photos with his phone from a distance, a gesture that a military officer identified as Major Fofanah found to be provocative. The soldier lunged into Fayia and grabbed his mobile phone, before calling his colleagues, about nine, to subject the journalist to a severe beating.

The soldiers took the journalist to the police station, where he fell unconscious. He was rushed to the Kenema Government Hospital where he was admitted and confined to a wheelchair, still under police custody. Fayia was returned to the police station upon his discharge and detained for three days. Seven days after soldiers assaulted the journalist, the police arraigned him before a Magistrate’s Court in Kenema on three counts of assault, disorderly behaviour and obstruction of security officers’ duties. The charges carry a minimum sentence of two years.

On March 9, 2021, in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, freelance journalist António Aly Silva, editor of the blog Ditadura do Consenso and a critic of the regime of President Úmaro Sissoco Embaló, was abducted, by some unknown persons, brutalised and abandoned by the roadside.

On May 7, 2021, security officers brutalised Peter Tabiri, a correspondent of Pent TV in Asankragua in the Western North Region of Ghana. The journalist was reporting the secret operation of the officers on the phone to the District Police Commander when the security officers pounced on him. He emerged with a damaged eardrum and severe bruises.  The Amenfi Divisional Commander of Police later confirmed that he was unaware of the operation of the officers.

On February 7, 2022, journalist Maimuna Bari jumped down from the first floor of the building housing Radio Capital, following an armed attack on the radio station based in Bissau. She suffered rib and spine injuries and fell into a coma. Bari is still receiving treatment in Lisbon, Portugal.

Agba Jalingo, the publisher of Cross River Watch online newspaper, was arrested by police at his Lagos residence on August 22, 2019, and taken into custody. He spent 179 days in detention and was chained to a fridge at some point.

Kidnap

Journalist Olivier Dubois and French national was abducted on April 8, 2021 in Gao, Mali. On May 5, 2021, he posted a video in which he revealed being in the hands of  the GSIM (Groupe de soutien à l’Islam et aux musulmans), a branch of Al Qaïda. He has since not been seen or heard from.

ECOWAS must work with CSOs to address democratic recession – Media, governance experts propose

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ECOWAS must work with CSOs to address democratic recession – Media, governance experts propose

A two-day regional conference on the current democratic recession in West Africa closed with a number of recommendations, along with a proposal that ECOWAS works with civil society to initiate a strategic response to the democratic rollback in the sub-region

The conference which was held in Accra, Ghana focused specifically on the impact of democratic rollback on media and press freedom in West Africa.  The conference hosted experts on governance and democracy, and media practitioners from across the sub-region who collectively proposed that the ECOWAS Commission collaborates with the West Africa Coalition for Media Freedom and Good Governance established by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to deploy a holistic intervention to the democratic restoration in the region.

They also proposed that ECOWAS collaborates with the Regional Coalition to adopt and implement well-defined protocols for the protection of journalists especially those in areas afflicted by coup d’états and other insurgencies.

The conference which was on the theme: The Media, Press Freedom and The Democratic Recession in West Africa came off from October 18 – 19, 2022, and saw participants from across all 16 countries in West Africa. Key representatives from the ECOWAS were also present to contribute to the conversation.

Democratic recession in West Africa

West Africa, until recently, enjoyed a reputation as Africa’s bastion of democracy. From the early 90s, the region had increasingly seen democratization after Benin set the pace with elections in 1991 and Ghana followed in 1992. Indeed, by the early 2000s all countries in the subregion were democracies.

However, the 2020s have been shaping up to be the era of serious rollback on the democratic gains with the setbacks including the tendency for democratically elected presidents to tweak constitutions to change term limits in order to elongate their stay in office.  The most significant of all the setbacks has been the recent wave of military coups d’état which have resulted in the overthrow of presidents and the heads of states of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea.

Other significant indicators of democratic recession in the region include shrinking civic spaces in almost every country in the region. Also, attacks, arbitrary arrests and detention of journalists and activists have become rampant in countries in the sub-region.  In the last two years alone, for example, data from MFWA’s monitoring show that there have been close to 200 incidents of media freedom and freedom of expression violations.

It was against this backdrop that the MFWA, organized the two-day regional conference which hosted experts and key stakeholders in the region to discuss the current democratic recession to gauge the problem and proffer solutions.

Key learnings from the regional conference

The main diagnosis was that there was a generally weakened press environment as a result of increased violations of freedom of expression and of the press with the adoption of repressive laws, imposion of harsh penalties for minor offenses including imprisonment and crippling fines on journalists and the media. Economic hardships that journalists face from a widespread culture of poor remuneration and the tendency for politicians to establish media houses and thus skew professionalism have all contributed to the weak media environment in the subregion.

Key recommendations

Participants were of the resolution that even with all of its shortcomings, democracy remains the best form of governance to guarantee civic liberties, free civic space and freedom of the press in the subregion and therefore, the democratic rollback must be stemmed. To this, they committed to engaging, collaborating, and supporting ECOWAS to mainstream issues of press freedom in its democratic governance interventions as well as significantly contributing towards the realization of the ECOWAS of people.

Also, participants agreed that the media remains crucial for countering the democratic recession and therefore, ECOWAS, must work closely with the media to roll out a comprehensive strategy to curtail the recession. They proposed an annual meeting between the ECOWAS and the West Africa Coalition for Media Freedom and Good Governance deliberate on emerging issues and proffer solutions.

Participants called on the ECOWAS to set up a Media Development Fund that will support struggling media organizations to improve their capacities to work in the region.

It was also recommended that the Coalition through the MFWA formally requests an embedded staff at the ECOWAS Commission to facilitate engagements at the regional level. This will serve as a formal link between the media in West Africa and ECOWAS.

It was recommended that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) should be signed to formalise this arrangement.

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