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.
The Act on a harmonized legal framework on freedom of expression and right ofinformation proposed by the participants at the workshop would guarantee the right to
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
other issues including the ECOWAS instruments for promoting free expression in WestAfrica.
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.

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