By NewsWatch Staff Writer
The Cameroon Association of English-Speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ) has secured a US Dollar 300,000 (circa FCFA 180 million) grant from Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) for the empowerment of journalists in the country.
The beneficiary association announced the groundbreaking achievement in a release on Monday December 4, saying it is for a project titled “Optimizing media engagement in peace efforts in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon through increased media participation.
”OSIWA supports innovative interventions with effective strategies that respond to the broader deep-seated political, justice and socio-economic roadblocks to open society in West Africa.
The National President of CAMASEJ, Jude Viban signed the grant agreement on behalf of the beneficiary organization – the first of its kind for the 30-year-old journalists’ association.
Since its establishment in 2000, OSIWA has dedicatedly supported the creation of open societies in West Africa marked by functioning democracy, good governance, the rule of law, basic freedoms, and widespread civic participation.
The foundation supports a wide array of independent voices and organizations around the world that provide a creative and dynamic link between the governing and the governed.
CAMASEJ said the grant will be used to improve the capacities of especially English-speaking journalists in Cameroon on reporting in conflict situations, create opportunities for journalists to acquire skills and tools to better their safety and security, and enforce advocacy and actions towards protecting the rights of journalists reporting on the crisis, among other actions.
“This is a real achievement by the current national executive of CAMASEJ and the association at large. This project will greatly contribute to a turnaround in the association’s fortunes,” Viban said, adding that “it will give our three-decade old association greater visibility.
”Since his election to the helm of CAMASEJ in November 2019 to become the 6th president of the association, Viban has embarked on a drive to rebrand the association – by raising its standards and make its voice powerful than the voice of its members.
His long list of achievements includes the putting in place of a solidarity fund to assist journalists in need and support their professional and social lives, organization of capacity building workshops for members to acquire more skills, among others.
The contemporary history of CAMASEJ records that it is during Viban’s tenure that the association organized a non-elective annual general assembly meeting. Organised under the theme: “CAMASEJ@30, a new breeze”, the come-together in Yaounde in November 2022 was an occasion for members from the six chapters of the over 400-member organization to have an introspective look at the road the association has covered in the last 30 years of existence and set targets for the future.
Now, with the OSIWA grants, the National President of CAMASEJ says the association will do more. “We [CAMASEJ] will become a better structured organisation, and above all have the desired impact of a journalists’ association.
”CAMASEJ intends to begin the project with an induction workshop in Bamenda on the sidelines of the Annual General Meeting on Saturday December 16, 2023. It says an online meeting will also be organised to enable those who will not be at the workshop to understand the project.
Based in Dakar, Senegal, OSIWA serves the 15 members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as well as Cameroon, Chad and Mauritania.
