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West Africa media community establishes Media Fund
By agencies
Dakar, Senegal - A two-day consultative roundtable geared towards finalizing preparations for the establishment of the West Africa Media Development Fund (WAMDEF) was due to open Wednesday in Ghana, the Accra-based rights body Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) said.
The two-day meeting, organised by MFWA, is expected to bring together media interest groups, representatives of banks and other financial institutions, who will review and endorse proposals for the establishment of the Fund.
"The place and role of free media in democratisation and national development are not debatable issues anymore," said Professor Kwame Karikari, MFWA Executive Director.
"However, the economic threats to the sustenance of independent media in our sub-region tend to subvert the media's vital role, and therefore democracy as well," he added.
When operational, WAMDEF, a brain-child of MFWA, with support from Free Voice, a Dutch media support organisation, will address financial challenges of the private and independent media organisations in West Africa by providing eligible institutions with loans and investments facilities.
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