MFWA boss to speak at Global Media Conference

THE EXECUTIVE Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has been invited by the Danish Foreign Ministry as a speaker at a global conference on Media Freedom being hosted by the Ministry and the World Association of Newspapers.

The Conference, which will be held on April 29 and 30, in the Danish Capital, Copenhagen, will bring together more than 100 international media professionals and experts. The conference will feature discussions and debates on the importance of press freedom in the development of societies. Participants will also discuss the role of the media in the development of democratic societies, in promoting accountable governance, and in fostering political cohesion.

“A free and critical press contributes not only to maintaining a public debate in society – it is a prerequisite for that debate,” said Mogens Jensen, Danish Minister of Trade and Development, in a release by the Foreign Ministry announcing the conference. “The media’s critical eyes on those in power are important for change and development in any society.”

“In many developing countries and fragile states, large parts of the population are completely excluded from the public debate. It is our duty to help strengthen voices that have a crucial role in shaping the future. “I hope this conference will point out new ways of defending and protecting the working conditions of journalists and media by giving editors and journalists a global forum for sharing their experiences,” the Minister said.

Other speakers at the conference will include Eric Chinje (Cameroon), Chief Executive Officer of the African Media Initiative; Shirazuddin Siddiqi, BBC Media Action Country Director for Afghanistan; Jodie Ginsberg, Chief Executive of Index On Censorship (UK).

Some other speakers are journalist and safety expert, Javier Garza (Mexico); film-maker, Safa Al Ahmad (Saudi Arabia); Soe Myint, founder and editor-in-chief of Mizzima Media (Myanmar/Burma); Gordana Igri? (Serbia), founder and regional network director of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.

From Denmark, Mr. Braimah will be in Latvia from May 2 to 8, where he will be participating in this year’s World Press Freedom Day celebration being hosted by the Government of Latvia. He will also be taking part in the meeting of the governing Council of IFEX, the world’s biggest network of freedom of expression organisations with over 80 member organisations from around the world, including the MFWA.