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| NAC, DFAJ trainers and community radio journalists at the launch of a 19-month training on agriculture reporting, Nov. 2015 (Photo Credit: Dawda Bayo) |
Other
new members include Cameroon, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and United
Republic of Tanzania.
With the inclusion of Georgia, the IFAJ Delegate Assembly
voted unanimously to accept
eight new countries as members during the annual congress hosted
by the Netherlands Association of Agricultural and Horticultural
Journalism (NVLJ) at the Wageningen University and Research in July 2018.
The
imminent approval of new membership applications was first revealed by the
Somali Media for Environment Science Health and Agriculture (SOMESHA) which has
a voting right at the IFAJ selection committee, and by the
Pan-African Agricultural Journalists (PAAJ).
"I
am glad to vote them and see all on board including the Association [of]
Georgian Agricultural Journalists (AGAG)," SOMESHA Secretary General Daud
Abdi Daud said on Wednesday.
More opportunities
In
his initial reaction, Sang Mendy, Secretary General of NAC-The Gambia,
said:
"In
few words, I am ecstatic. This is something we have been longing for. We will
use this membership to network with agricultural guilds
within IFAJ to learn with a view to bettering farmers in The Gambia.
We will not disappoint.
"On
behalf of NAC, I would like to thank DFAJ [Danish Food and Agricultural
Journalists] for strengthening us over the years. Since we came in touch with
them, they have been guiding and mentoring us."
Mr.
Mendy also commend IFAJ for considering NAC's membership request,
and NAC's Pan-African peer SOMESHA for supporting the application.
Amadou
Jallow, President of NAC-The Gambia, said membership
of IFAJ offers new and greater opportunities for his
organization.
"It
open doors for more opportunities and networking with peer-guilds around the
world,” he said.
"It
is also an opportunity to share more experiences with other guilds and to learn
best practices in return to further impact agricultural development in The
Gambia."
Mr.
Jallow described this new development as "the beginning of NAC's new
engagement in agricultural development at global level."
He
thank IFAJ for trusting and approving his organization's membership
application.
IFAJ is the only global organization to
provide professional development and networking opportunities for agricultural
journalists and communicators.
Interest in IFAJ membership continues
beyond the 50 current members. It said in a statement Thursday
that it has received inquiries and communication of intent to apply from nearly
a dozen more countries.
“…and will be actively pursuing
membership growth in South America and Asia in the coming years.”
In
2015, the IFAJ changed its constitution to accept [agricultural] guilds from
countries that agree to support freedom of the press, rather than the previous
definition that the country must have freedom of the press.
“IFAJ
has accepted 17 new members, many of them from Africa where the majority of the
population are involved and employed in agriculture,” its President Owen
Roberts said.
True potential of
inspiration
NAC-The
Gambia gained global recognition during the 58th IFAJ
Congress
held in South Africa last year following the
successful training of 26 radio journalist on agriculture reporting.
That
19 months project dubbed “Empowering Farmers Through Effective Agricultural
Journalism” was implemented in partnership with the DFAJ.
It
is meant to empower farmers by equipping journalists with the requisite skills
to report on agricultural activities that would educate farmers and influence
positive change in the society.
“The
Gambian guild (NAC) is a classical example that agricultural journalists
associations around the world can learn from to bring revolution in global
agricultural development trends,” IFAJ President Owen Roberts said.
“The
NAC is a ‘true potential of inspiration’ to all agricultural journalists guilds
around the world. The way the network members come together and form around a
project represents the true ideals and commitment of IFAJ,” he told the 2017 IFAJ and DuPont
Pioneer Master Class Boot Camp in South Africa’s Gauteng province.
- This entry first appeared HERE on Kerr Fatou
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