Sierra Leone News

proposed a draft regional framework document that would help liberalize the environment

for freedom of expression in West Africa and contribute to the consolidation of democracy

and good governance.

The document seeks the adoption of a regional instrument that will enable ECOWAS

citizens avail themselves of the fundamental human rights enshrined in various

international instruments, which Member States have signed, that guarantee the right to

freedom of expression and information.

information and independence of the media, define the parameters for civil defamation and

press offences, institute a mechanism for the regulation of print and broadcast media as

well as the classification of broadcast services.

It will also help define the composition and mode of operations of the regulatory bodies for

broadcast and telecommunication services to protect public interest and the economic and

other measures that are needed to support the media to ensure it caters for the needs of

the public.

In addition, it will help guarantee the right to information, the independence of the media

and define the sanctions to be meted to journalists and media institutions for violations of

the Act and appropriate laws.

Apart from the Act, the three-day workshop which was jointly organized by the ECOWAS

Commission and the Accra-based Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), discussed

Africa.

There were also presentations that touched on the existing restrictive media legislation in

West Africa, the fundamental principles of legislation enhancing media freedom and the

enforcement challenges of international, African and sub-regional instruments relating to

the right to free expression and access to information.

Participants were drawn from the ECOWAS Commission, the MFWA, the West African

Journalists Association (WAJA), the Network of Lawyers for the Defence of Journalists, the

International Federation of Journalists and the Media Rights Agenda (MRA).

While declaring workshop open, the ECOWAS Director of Communication, Dr Adrienne

Diop, said the programme helps to demonstrate the determination of the Commission to

operationalize the extant provisions of various regional instruments that promote free

expression and create a conducive environment for media practitioners.

These include the Revised Treaty of 1993, the Declaration on the Practice of Journalism of

2000 and the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework, all of which are collectively meant

to help secure a conducive environment for the media to contribute to deepening

democracy and good governance in the region as well as promote professionalism in the

media.

In her remarks, the representative of the MFWA, Jeannette Quarcoopome, expressed

concern at the repressive environment in some Member States that hamper the ability of

citizens to exercise their right to freedom of expression, adding that this was a continuation

of the work of MFWA to remove these constraints and enable citizens enjoy the

fundamental human rights guaranteed by international legal instruments.