The Gambia Press Union (GPU) has launched its Affiliates Support Program (ASP) on Saturday February 29th 2020.
The program is part of a 30-month project that the Union is co-implementing with ‘Gambia Media Support’ (GAMES), a Denmark-based non-profit organization set up to support the country’s media.
The project which was launched in June 2019, seeks to further strengthen the GPU as an advocate for members, the media and democracy in the Gambia.
The ASP component of the project is designed to strengthen the six formally registered affiliates of the GPU on key areas such as policy formulation, organizational administration, financial management, fundraising and communication and advocacy.
Speaking on the occasion, Pa Modou Faal, Head of GPU Board’s Program Committee, said the country’s Press Union is ever committed to support and strengthen its affiliates through capacity building and financial support.
“Affiliates are important to the GPU. That is why the leadership of the GPU never relented in looking for opportunities to strengthen them,” he said. Faal urged the affiliates to make the best use of the opportunity to position themselves better, for the interest of their members and the media industry in general.
Sheriff Bojang Jr. President of the GPU said it is important that the affiliates and other groups of journalists in the country focus on their areas of interest and passion; that each of the affiliates will be re-energized and will continue to work in the interest of its members. “When all the affiliates groups work effectively towards their set objectives, the work of the GPU will be much easier,” the GPU President said.
Bojang called on the affiliates to be accountable to their members in the implementation of their programs just as the GPU is accountable to its mass membership.
The six beneficiary affiliates under this program are:
• Women Journalists Association of The Gambia
• Young Journalists Association of The Gambia
• Sports Journalists Association of The Gambia
• Network of Agricultural Communicators
• Human Rights Network The Gambia
• Network of Community Radios of The Gambia
There is a total sum of D2 million for the ASP. Out of this, D900,000 is for the ASPs to send their members to the Media Academy for Journalism and Communication (MAJaC) for core journalism training.
Another D900,000 is for the ASPs to implement their own activities. Also as part of the project, each of the ASPs is to send in an intern to the GPU for two months and the person will receive transport allowance each month.
