The 2018 edition of the West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA) opens at the Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotel in Accra, Ghana on October 12.
The two-day (October 12-13) event brings together journalists, media experts, academics, freedom of expression advocates and high-profile personalities from across West Africa and beyond. Also present will be representatives from ECOWAS, high commissions/embassies, civil society organisations (CSOs) and international organisations.
Participants at the conference, which comes off on Friday, October 12, will deliberate on the state of the media in West Africa, the challenges to media practice and strategise for development in the region.
The conference will be opened by Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, Chairman of the National Media Commission of Ghana and the President of Africa Communication Regulation Authorities Network as well as receive remarks from key media personalities across West Africa.
The Awards component, which will be held on Saturday, October 13, will reward outstanding journalists in West Africa whose works are impacting lives in society.
The Awards competition received over 600 entries from across 12 West African countries. A three-member panel of judges after a thorough review of the entries shortlisted 18 finalists for seven out of 14 categories.
The Awards ceremony will be graced by distinguished diplomat and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who will also present the award to the overall best journalist in West Africa.
The West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA) is supported by MTN-Ghana, GCB Bank, Stanbic Bank, the US Embassy in Ghana, DW Akademie and the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA). The event is also supported by several media partners across West Africa.
