Donate
Donate
Search
Home Blog Page 93

MFWA Launches Campaign to End Impunity in The Gambia to Mark the International Day to End Impunity

Vivian Affoah
-
0
MFWA Launches Campaign to End Impunity in The Gambia to Mark the International Day to End Impunity

To commemorate the UN International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, which falls on November 2, the MFWA is beginning a three-week long campaign to end impunity in The Gambia. President Yahya Jammeh celebrated two decades as the head of state of The Gambia in July of this year. Those two decades have been marred by massive human rights violations and impunity.

Under President Jammeh’s rule, Gambians have experienced ‎20 years of fear marked by extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and gross violations of freedom of expression. These ongoing gross and systematic abuses violate The Gambia’s obligations under international human rights treaties, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the country’s national constitution. In addition, the culture of impunity resulting from the lack of accountability and justice has facilitated the perpetration of further human rights violations.

For the next three weeks, the MFWA will be campaigning to end impunity in The Gambia by publicising the Jammeh government’s crimes and petitioning governments and intergovernmental organisations to hold President Jammeh accountable.

Follow our campaign on our website, Facebook, and Twitter using the hashtags #EndImpunity #‎20YrsOfFear .

Guinea ALERT: Gendarme jailed for assaulting journalist

Vivian Affoah
-
0

On November 12, 2014, the Kaloum County Court sentenced Staff Sergeant Abdoulaye Diallo to eight months in prison, fined him an amount of 10 million Guinean Francs (about US $1300) and barred him from carrying weapons for five years.

David Tchopn Bangoura, a journalist of Radio Lynx FM, was assaulted by Staff Sergeant Diallo on September 4, 2014.

Bangoura was covering a peaceful march organised by former clients of an alleged bankrupt bank who were demanding the reimbursement of their money when Diallo, charged at him and uttered “you journalists, you are the ones going everywhere to report problems.” He followed the statement with two slaps, sending Bangoura to the ground.

Following the assault, management of the Lynx-la Lance-Lynx Press Group, owners of Radio Lynx FM on October 29, lodged a complaint at the Kaloum County Court against Staff Sergeant Abdoulaye Diallo.

According to MFWA’s correspondent in Guinea, this case is symbolic because it is the first time a media house in the country has lodged a complaint against a member of a security agency in the country.

The MFWA welcomes this good news. This is the second time in Guinea that an action has been taken by authorities to redress violations against journalists. In July this year, the commander of the National Gendarmerie, General Mamadou Baldé, caused the arrest and detention of some gendarmes who assaulted a journalist who tried to cover an eviction exercise.

It is our belief that when perpetrators of freedom of expressions violations are punished, it will go a long way to end impunity in the sub region. We urge other countries to follow this example of Guinea. We also commend the Lynx-la Lance-Lynx Press Group for initiating this case and urge owners/managers of media organisations to be concerned about the safety of their journalists.

Bridge digital divide between Accra and other parts of Ghana – ICT expert

Vivian Affoah
-
0

Winner of the ICT Personality of the Year at the 2014 Ghana Telecom Awards has called for a clear policy direction to bridge the current digital divide between Accra and other parts of the country.

Mr Ernest Brown, Executive Director of Zipnet, stressed that due to this divide, internet service and access in other parts of the country is expensive than Accra.

He made the call in an interview with Myjoyonline.com.

“Currently there is a digital divide between Accra and the other parts of the country that needs to be bridged because internet access is much more expensive in Bolgatanga than in Accra. There should be a clear policy direction to bridge this gab,” Mr Ernest Brown stated.

According to him, for the country to effectively achieve its goal of making Information and Communications Technology (ICT) access, key steps must be taken to make this dream reality.

While Ghana is tagged as of the fastest growing and biggest destinations for ICT in Africa, Mr Ernest Brown, who is also President of the Ghana Internet Service Providers Association (GIPSA), believes that a lot more needs to be done to improve access in the country.

“We need to improve ICT education. Right from primary level to Secondary to Tertiary, there is the need to improve not only board work in terms of what ICT is all about, we need to move towards practicality in terms of the use of ICT,” he said.

Ghana, he noted, needs to begin to teach students how they can program, understand the value of networks. “The computer shouldn’t just be sitting there just for internet use.”

Mr Ernest Brown underscored the need to improve access to devices – computers, smartphones – and that, “we can only do that when there is a good policy from government to ensure that it is mandatory for every student especially in the tertiary institutions or secondary institutions to have access to computers. We can only do that when we encourage local assembling of computers when there are incentives for companies to provide computer access to students.”

While having these devices is a good step, the Board Member of Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), observed that there should be a clear policy to improve network access so that people can have access to good internet resources.

He applauded the government for investing into fibre connectivity but was quick to add that, “there is the need for it to be managed properly [but] not being given to any company per say to manage but ensuring that there is fair access and providers can compete rightly in the provision of this access.”

Winning ICT Personality of the Year at the 2014 Ghana Telecom Awards – which recognizes and honours the achievement of industry players in the telecommunication and ICT sector – is no easy feat. It cements Mr Ernest Brown’s enormous contribution towards the development of ICT in Ghana.

Over the past year alone, he has helped train up and coming engineers who manage networks of organizations. They have trained over 300 engineers.

The President of GIPSA has helped to reform and improve internet exchange in Ghana. This he said is critical because it enables Ghana to “exchange internet traffic locally.”

Apart from also helping rebuild the image of the GIPSA, Mr Ernest Brown has championed innovations for some tertiary institutions including building campus wifi access for the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) and the Accra Polytechnic.

Other institutions will soon benefit from this initiative, he said and added that, “we believe that providing access and good ICT for institutions is quite critical.”

Source:  Myjoyonline.com

Future of International justice in Africa uncertain

Vivian Affoah
-
0

The future of international justice in Africa is uncertain following last week’s approval by the AU summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, of a protocol to the proposed African Court of Justice and Human Rights, which will exempt serving heads of state and senior officials from prosecution while still in office.

This amendment is the culmination of a difficult year in relations between the International Criminal Court and the AU, arising from the trials facing the Kenyan President and Deputy President before the court. Kenya has played a leading role in shaping the AU/ICC relations and in articulating the AU position before international forums.

The effect of the protocol is that the proposed court, which will replace the existing African Court of Human and People’s Rights, that is based in Arusha, and the yet-to-be-formed African Court of Justice, and which will have jurisdiction to hear criminal cases that the existing court does not have, will have no capacity to try heads of state and unspecified senior officials.

While African states have asserted that these amendments are part of a scheme to find “African solutions for African problems”, it is difficult to argue that the Kenyan cases before the ICC have not played a defining role in energising last week’s amendments, which are viewed as a backlash against the ICC, and a major setback for the victims of serious crimes in Africa.

Even within African civil society, which has a total rejection of all forms of impunity, some voices have defended last week’s amendments, pointing out that these were pragmatic concessions that needed to be made in order to allow efforts towards the setting up of Africa’s own criminal court to go forward. However, this argument ignores the extreme disfunctionality that has characterised the existing court, even when it did not have to deal with the controversies that usually surround criminal justice.

While the protocol establishing the existing African court came into force in 1998, it took 10 years for the first case to be brought before the court and, even then, this case was technically incompetent. However, there has been a recent surge in the number of cases before the court which now stand at more than 20.
The small number of subscriptions to the court remains the main problem standing in the way of access to the justice that the court promises. Out of the 53 African states that are members of the African Union, only 26 have ratified the treaty on the existing African court.

The bar of access by individuals to the court through a requirement that a member state must authorise such access by signing a declaration is also a significant problem for the court. Only Tanzania, Malawi, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Mali have allowed direct access by their nationals to the court by signing the declaration.

The problems facing the African court resonate with those facing courts established under the various sub-regional economic cooperation agreements. Of these, the SADC Tribunal of Justice has been worst hit: Following its decision which declared the eviction of white farmers by Zimbabwe as unconstitutional, Zimbabwe withdrew from the tribunal, whose legitimacy it challenged.

Then in 2010 the SADC summit ordered a review of the “functions and … terms of reference of the SADC Tribunal”, which led to the suspension of the operations of the tribunal which then closed.
The backlash against the tribunal is similar to the treatment that the East African Court of Justice received in 2010, following its decision in the Anyang’ Nyong’o case with which Kenya took exception leading to a hurried amendment to the treaty on the court to make the point that Kenya, and not the court, was boss.

Presidential immunities

Last week’s amendment creates a new norm that will compete with the norm at the ICC, that it is not acceptable to shield presidents from prosecution.

Kenya has proposed amendments to the Rome Statute which come up for discussion at the next Assembly of State Parties in December, seeking presidential immunities under the Rome Statute.
While it is unlikely that the amendments will be approved, Kenya’s proposal signifies the increasing boldness by African states, and Kenya in particular, in pursuing an agenda for impunity that would never have been thought possible only a year ago.

A patent difficulty is that the Kenya Government is leading Africa, and representing the people of Kenya, in negotiations on major policy-changing endeavours without any form of consultation with citizens at home. Kenyan citizens are reading about what is being done abroad in their name, about which nobody is talking at home.

The evidence shows that African states are not prepared for meaningful accountability, either at home, where they are cracking down on accountability organs, or abroad, where they raise the rhetoric of feeling targeted because of being African.

The Kenyan constitution leans heavily against immunities for heads of state, providing that the President of Kenya is not immune from prosecution if treaties to which Kenya is a signatory do not allow such immunity. In effect, the government is affecting a major constitutional presumption without bothering to discuss the reasons for doing so with its citizens.

The contempt by the government for citizens is demonstrable. There is a certain rogue image in which the current leadership is not afraid to represent Kenya, and which is at odds with the country’s history, recent experiences, and the documented aspirations of the people of Kenya.

Source:  Daily Nation

Journalists Urge Gov’t to Collaborate with Media on Ebola Response

Vivian Affoah
-
0
Journalists Urge Gov’t to Collaborate with Media on Ebola Response

A group of journalists from 60 radio stations across Ghana have called for increased involvement of the media in Ghana’s Ebola response processes. The call by the journalists is contained in a communiqué they issued after a two-day capacity building programme organized by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), in Accra.

The capacity building programme, which was carried out with funding support from STAR-Ghana and the Norwegian Government, was aimed at enhancing the knowledge of the journalists on the Ebola disease and empowering them with relevant journalistic skills to enable them to do effective reporting and programming on the disease.

“Radio stations are the main source of information in all communities, particularly in rural areas. Since public access to timely and accurate information on Ebola is crucial for the fight against Ebola, we deem it important to empower radio stations across the country to support ongoing Ebola public education efforts in the country,” said Rikke Hansen, Programme Officer in charge of MFWA’s Media and Ebola project.

Below is the communiqué issued by the journalists at the end of the two-day training programme:

Communiqué

We, the participants from 60 radio stations across the country, at the just ended two-day training programme on Ebola reporting and programming, are convinced that in order to adequately prepare to prevent a possible outbreak and spread of the Ebola disease in Ghana, citizens must be well informed and educated about the disease.

Aware of the powerful role of the media in informing and educating the public, we resolve that as broadcasters, we have a duty to accurately and effectively inform the people of Ghana about Ebola.

While we resolve to do our best as journalists to effectively inform and educate the public on Ebola, we recommend the following measures to enhance the media’s work in promoting public education, for the attention of the Government of Ghana:

· To direct all agencies under the Ministry of Health and the National Ebola Response Team to partner with the media in their Ebola response activities
· To allocate resources to the media to support their work in disseminating information on Ebola
· To direct agencies under the Ministry of Health to provide reliable, and timely information on Ebola to radio directly or through the MFWA’s Ebola information Centre to be circulated for media programming and reporting

We further call on all stakeholders such as NGOs, International Organisations, Corporate Ghana, Traditional Authorities and Religious Bodies to support the media in educating the public on Ebola

Issued by the MFWA in Accra on November 11, 2014.

Sierra Leone Alert: Journalist arrested and detained on Presidential executive order

Vivian Affoah
-
0

Dr. David Tam-Baryoh, a journalist who hosts the programme “Monologue” on Citizen Radio in Sierra Leone, was arrested and detained at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Freetown on November 3, 2014.

The MFWA’s correspondent in Sierra Leone reported that Dr. Tam-Baryoh, who suffers from high blood pressure, was transferred from the CID office to the hospital at the Pademba Road maximum security prison in Freetown on November 4.

According to our correspondent, even though the executive detention order stated that Tam-Brayoh was arrested for incitement, many believe the authorities wanted to prevent him from further criticising how the government is handling the Ebola crises.

No charges have been filed against the journalist yet.

The president of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) told MFWA’s correspondent that SLAJ is currently working out a plan to petition President Ernest Bai Koroma to release Dr. Tam-Baryoh on medical grounds.

Tam-Brayoh’s “Monologue” programme, which is considered the most popular radio programme in Sierra Leone, has recently caused problems with authorities in Sierra Leone.

On July 5, Tam-Brayoh—who also works as the Director of Citizen Radio—received a letter from Sierra Leone’s media regulatory body, the Independent Media Commission (IMC), requesting that he suspend “Monologue”. The letter, signed by the Executive Secretary of the IMC, J.P.K Lamin, stated, “I am further directed to convey to you the cabinet conclusion C.P. (2014) at its meeting on 21st May 2014 that the Monologue Programme on Citizen Radio be issued a sixty days suspension order as from 12 o’clock today”.

Tam-Baryoh has also had issues with the country’s Transport and Aviation Minister Leonard Balogun Koroma. For example, a text message he sent seeking clarification was deemed to be seditious libel and police detained him on “orders from above.” He was finally released after posting bail of 100 million Leones (about US $22,500 ).

According to MFWA’s correspondent, the July incident was the first time that a Sierra Leonean President—together with his cabinet—had ordered the IMC to stop a radio programme without stating the reasons. Furthermore, the incident this week is the first time a president has ordered executive detention order to arrest and detain a journalist.

According to the correspondent, it is also the first time since a Sierra Leonean president has issued an executive detention order to arrest and detain a journalist after the country became a democratic state.

The State of Journalists’ Safety in Ghana

Vivian Affoah
-
0

The fact that Ghana is recognised as having a press freedom environment,  doesn’t necessarily mean journalists are safe in Ghana, especially if the country is assessed based on UNESCO’s safety of journalists indicators. In the last 10 years, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has recorded a total of 138 incidents of violations against journalists and media workers, representing an average of nearly 14 violations a year in Ghana.

This was contained in a paper presented by the Executive Director of MFWA, Mr Sulemana Braimah, at a forum organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in Accra, yesterday, 3rd November, to mark the United Nations Day on the safety of Journalists and the issue of impunity in Ghana.

Mr. Braimah  said the lack of a conscious and determined effort on the part of the state to punish crimes committed against journalists had the potential of fostering impunity and emboldening perpetrators and potential ones to commit further violations.

He, therefore, called on all stakeholders to ensure  the protection of  journalists as clearly articulated in UNESCO’s safety of journalist indicators.

Click here to read or download the full paper.

ECOWAS, AU have failed Burkina Faso – MFWA

Vivian Affoah
-
0

The MFWA is saddened by the failure of the ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) leadership to live by the fine protocols and charters on good governance they have adopted over the years and thus failing to act to prevent leaders from acting in ways that do not bode well for good governance, peace and security.

While ECOWAS and AU instruments abhor constitutional amendments by Presidents to perpetuate themselves in power, leaders of the regional groups remained silent over the years in the face of evident attempts by former President Blaise Compaoré to amend the constitution of Burkina Faso in order to seek re-election after his constitutionally mandated term comes to an end in November 2015.

Citizens of Burkina Faso exercised their civic rights by staging protests to indicate their displeasure at attempts by now ex-President Compaoré to extend his stay in power. They later succeeded in forcing the President to resign from office.

Compaoré, who until October 31, 2014, had ruled Burkina Faso for 27 years, tried to push for a constitutional amendment through parliament. If he had succeeded with the amendment, there would been a change in Presidential term limits to make it possible for him to stand for re-election next year.

To ensure regional peace and the protection of the rights of citizens, ECOWAS and AU leaders must begin to enforce regional mechanisms and protocols on good governance, human rights and democracy. ECOWAS and AU leaders must be seen to be acting in defence of citizens rather than themselves. The ECOWAS and the AU must be seen to be institutions of the people rather than of Heads of State. It is the only way the continental and sub-regional body can gain the confidence of citizens and promote regional peace and stability.

Issued by the MFWA in Accra on November 3, 2014.

MFWA Calls For Open And Secure Internet In West Africa

Vivian Affoah
-
0

On the occasion of this year’s World Internet Day, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in collaboration with the Ghana Internet Freedom Coalition is calling on governments in West Africa to invest in making the internet more accessible, affordable, free and secure.

It is only when the internet landscape is open and secure that people can optimise its full potential.

“Such an enabling environment will foster innovation; creativity; economic, social and political development. It will also provide a platform for people to express themselves freely without any form of interference,” said Dora B. Mawutor, a Programme Officer of the MFWA.

The MFWA is particularly worried about measures adopted by some West African governments to increasingly undermine freedom of expression and respect for human rights.

“We are therefore calling on them [West African governments] to desist from repressive activities such as surveillance, interception, filtering, spoofing, and the introduction of laws that are inimical to the tenets of freedom of expression so people can openly express their thoughts and ideas without any fear or favour,” she added.

While calling on West African leaders to create the conducive environment necessary for internet use, the MFWA also urges the public, especially the youth, to take full advantage of the potential and opportunities that the internet offers to empower themselves and better their lives through job creation and knowledge sharing.

As a member of the network of organisations working on the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms, the MFWA also calls on governments across the continent to endorse the Declaration to promote human rights standards and principles of openness in internet policy formulation and implementation on the continent.

World Internet day is celebrated every October 29 to mark the birth of the internet.

MFWA Board Calls for Intensified Ebola Response

Vivian Affoah
-
0
MFWA Board Calls for Intensified Ebola Response

The Board of Directors of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has expressed serious concern about the Ebola epidemic ravaging parts of West Africa and its severe toll on lives, the economy and overall development of the sub-region. It has, therefore, appealed to the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) the international community, national governments and civil society groups to intensify efforts aimed at containing the disease.

The appeal by the MFWA Board was contained in a 12-point resolution issued at the end of its second annual meeting in Accra, Ghana. The two-day Board meeting held on October 17 and 18, 2014 discussed and reviewed a number of strategic issues relating to the operations of the organisation as well as the broader issues of freedom of expression and the Ebola outbreak in the West African sub-region.

The Board lamented what it described as restrictive measures being adopted by some governments in the region to limit the media’s ability and freedom to provide effective coverage on the Ebola outbreak. It described such measures as unhelpful and counter-productive to efforts being made to contain the Ebola outbreak.

“Given the critical role of public education in containing the outbreak and the important role of the media in that regard, the Board calls on governments in the region to respect and protect media freedom, and guarantee access to information about the disease among citizens so that they are better informed about areas to avoid and other preventive measures to take as well as what to do if they suspect that they have been infected,” the Board resolution noted.

Another major issue contained the Board resolution was the slow pace of the digital migration process in West Africa, the low level of public awareness on migration, and the potentially massive implications of the digital migration process on for freedom of expression and access to information.

“Mindful of the fact that digital migration will require policy, legal and regulatory reforms, the Board calls on governments to adopt a multi-stakeholder and consultative approach in all policy, legal and regulatory reform processes associated with digital migration so that all critical stakeholders can be effectively engaged,” the Board advised.

The Board unanimously approved the nomination of Mrs. Sophie Ly Sow, as its newest member and welcomed her to the Board. Mrs. Sow, a Senegalese, has several years of experience leading and managing non-profits and media related projects.

Among many other experiences, Mrs. Sow opened and managed the West Africa office of Panos Institute in Dakar from 1992 to 1994. She served as Secretary General of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) in Montreal, Canada, from 1995 to 2001. From 2005 to 2007, Mrs. Sow was in charge of the Media Programme of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA); and was in charge of Oxfam America’s regional communication from 2007 to 2009.

Below is the full resolution issued by the MFWA Board of Directors:

Resolution

By the Board of Directors of Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) at its Meeting held in Accra, Ghana, on October 17 & 18, 2014.

On October 17 and 18, 2014, the Board of Directors of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) met in Accra, Ghana, to discuss and review a number of strategic issues relating to the operations of the organisation as well as the broader issues of freedom of expression and the Ebola outbreak in the West African sub-region.

The meeting was presided over by the Chairman, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, who is also the Executive Director of the Nigeria-based Media Rights Agenda. At the end of the two-day meeting, the Board unanimously adopted and issued this resolution:

1. The Board notes with serious concern the Ebola epidemic ravaging parts of West Africa with its severe toll on lives, the economy and overall development of the sub-region. It therefore calls on the international community, national governments and Civil Society groups to intensify efforts aimed at containing the disease.

2. In view of the crucial role of access to information and public education to ongoing efforts to prevent and contain the disease, the Board is concerned about restrictive measures being adopted by governments, particularly in the affected countries, limiting the media’s ability and freedom to cover the issue. The Board views these measures as unhelpful and indeed, counter-productive.

3. Given the critical role of public education in containing the outbreak and the important role of the media in that regard, the Board calls on governments in the region to respect and protect media freedom, and guarantee access to information about the disease among citizens so that they are better informed about areas to avoid and other preventive measures to take as well as what to do if they suspect that they have been infected.

4. The Board expresses deep concern about the slow pace of digital migration among many of the countries in West Africa, including the low level of public awareness of the digital migration process and its potentially massive implications for access to information and the right to freedom of expression.

5. Mindful of the fact that digital migration will require policy, legal and regulatory refoms, the Board calls on governments to adopt a multi-stakeholder and consultative approach in all policy, legal and regulatory reform processes associated with digital migration so that all critical stakeholders can be effectively engaged. It also urges governments to protect citizens’ right to freedom of expression and access to information in the digital migration process, including by providing them with adequate information about its potential impact on them, its cost implications for them and important timelines.

6. The board further calls on the media and civil society groups in West Africa to support public education on the digital migration process.

7. The Board welcomes the generally noticeable decline in the most egregious forms of attacks on journalists and the media in the region and the progress made in the number of countries in the region that have passed Right to Information (RTI) Laws. The Board notes with satisfaction that within the last four years, West Africa has shot ahead of all other sub-regions on the continent as more countries in West Africa currently have RTI laws than any other sub-region.

8. The Board, therefore, commends the MFWA Secretariat and its national partners in the region for the significant contributions towards achieving the current generally improved conditions of freedom of expression and for the continuous increase in the number of countries with RTI laws in West Africa.

9. These improvements notwithstanding, the Board remains mindful of the complexity of the emerging freedom of expression and access to information issues in the era of information society – digitalisation and internet revolution – and calls on rights groups and media professionals to re-strategise on how to effectively respond to the complexities of the current realities.

10. On the occasion of the first anniversary of the UN Resolution on the Safety of Journalists and the issue of Impunity, the Board urges ECOWAS leaders and relevant organs of ECOWAS to ensure compliance with and the enforcement of the decisions of the Regional Court of Justice in order to discourage acts of impunity within the region.

11. The Board recognises and highlights the importance of internet penetration, affordability and access, for the overall development of West Africa. Accordingly, It calls on national governments and regional bodies in West Africa to prioritise investment in ICTs and work collaboratively to promote internet rights and freedoms in the region.

12. The Board unanimously approved the nomination of Mrs. Sophie Ly Sow, as its newest member and welcomed her to the Board. Mrs. Sow, a Senegalese, has several years of experience leading and managing non-profits and media related projects. Among many other experiences, Mrs. Sow opened and managed the West Africa office of Panos Institute in Dakar from 1992 to 1994. She served as Secretary General of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) in Montreal, Canada, from 1995 to 2001. From 2005 to 2007, Mrs. Sow was in charge of the Media Programme of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA); and was in charge of Oxfam America’s regional communication from 2007 to 2009. She currently serves as the Director of Dakar-based private Consulting firm, NEXUS Groupe.

Adopted in Accra, Ghana, this Saturday, the 18th day of October, 2014

Accurate Information on Ebola – MFWA’s Special Report

Vivian Affoah
-
0

Efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa have been associated with various forms of press freedom restrictions and attacks on journalists, which continue to hamper the provision of timely and accurate information to the public.

In a special report highlighting the impact of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) notes that the Ebola outbreak has had a significant effect on freedom of expression in West Africa, particularly in the worst-affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The report highlights incidents of Ebola-related freedom of expression violations; the challenges with respect to media freedom and professional reportage; and the positive and negative contributions of the media—including social media and bloggers—towards efforts to prevent and contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

According to the MFWA report, in light of the Ebola outbreak, journalists in Liberia have been attacked, harassed, censored and restricted under a state of emergency, which has included curfews and restrictions on general human rights.

The special Ebola-focused report also highlights challenges in Guinea, where three journalists were brutally killed by a mob during a mission to provide information on Ebola, and the situation in Sierra Leone, where officials have adopted measures that have the potential of instilling fear in journalists and deterring independent and impartial reporting.

“The limitations on the freedom of expression as it pertains to community sensitisation about health issues constitute violations not only of the right to freedom of expression, but also of the right to health,” said Anjali Manivannan, the MFWA’s Programme Officer for Free Expression Rights Monitoring and Campaigns. “Unfortunately, many restrictions violate the state obligation to respect these rights,” she added.

The situation is further exacerbated by journalists and individuals who have used traditional and social media irresponsibly, thus increasing the spread of misinformation and even causing bodily harm or death.

“The nature of the disease requires intensive and focused public education to contain it,” said Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the MFWA. “Thus, it is essential to train the media on how to provide timely and accurate information to the public, particularly in the most vulnerable and underserved rural communities in all countries in the region.”

The MFWA has been involved in meetings with the regional inter-governmental body Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Federation of the Red Cross to develop media and communication strategies for public education on the disease.

“Currently, the MFWA is rolling out a project to partner with rural and community radio stations across the West Africa region to intensify public education and awareness of the disease,” Sulemana Braimah said.

For the full report with executive summary, please click here

Free Expression Violations in West Africa Increased by 52% in Mid-2014 – MFWA Report

Vivian Affoah
-
0

Freedom of expression violations in West Africa increased from 25 during the first four months of 2014 (January to April) to 38 during the second four months of the year (May to August), according to a report by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA). The figures show a 52% increase in the incidence of violations between the two periods of this year.

The report , West Africa Free Expression Monitor: The State of Freedom of Expression in West Africa (May–August 2014), highlights the perpetrators of violations, types of violations, and countries in which violations occurred. The report’s findings reveal that state actors, particularly security agencies, were the leading perpetrators of violations, with attacks and threats being the most frequently occurring type of violation.

Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, and Burkina Faso each saw an increase in incidents of violations during May to August, compared to January to April. Nigeria recorded the highest number of incidents (7 violations), followed by Sierra Leone (6 violations), and Liberia (5 violations). Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo each saw a decrease in incidents of violations during May to August, compared to January to April.

“The right to freedom of expression is enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, to which all 16 West African states are parties,” said Anjali Manivannan, the Programme Officer for Free Expression Rights Monitoring and Campaigns at the MFWA. “Moreover, the national constitutions of all West African states guarantee the right to freedom of expression. The many violations of freedom of expression in the face of legal protections make these abuses all the more disturbing.”

The periodic analysis of freedom of expression violations in West Africa is part of the MFWA’s Freedom of Expression Rights Monitoring and Campaigns programme. Through this programme, the organisation monitors and reports incidents of violations in all the 16 countries of West Africa—the 15 ECOWAS member states plus Mauritania. The organisation uses monitoring and reporting to publicise incidents of violations and pressure duty-bearers to prevent violations and provide effective remedies when they occur.

“The governments of West Africa have a responsibility to respect, protect, and fulfil the right to freedom of expression,” said Manivannan. “This entails not only stopping and preventing violations, but also holding perpetrators of abuses accountable in order to combat impunity.”

The MFWA’s full report and findings can be found here.

1...929394...131Page 93 of 131

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox

The Media Foundation for West Africa works to promote freedom of expression, press freedom, access to information, internet freedom and media development throughout the 16 countries in the West Africa region–that is the 15 member states of ECOWAS and Mauritania.

Quick Links

Contact Us

Address

Aar-Bakor Street, Ogbojo, Accra, Ghana, West Africa

Telephone

+233 302 555327 | +233 302 955213

Email

info [@] mfwa.org

© 2025 | The Media Foundation for West Africa