Cameroon: Journalists Set Up Local Watchdog
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Journalists in Cameroon have set up a watchdog group to keep an
eye on local government administration in the West African
country.
This initiative followed a two-day training last sponsored by the
Commonwealth Journalists Association, CJA.
The seminar organised and led by Andre Marie Yimga of the Centre
for Research into Education, Human Rights and Social Sciences (CERDHESS),
had three lawyers discussing laws decentralising powers over
development, health services, school, sport and culture to towns
and their mayors.
The general opinion was that this decentralisation was going to
become a reality any time soon.
The seminar, however, encouraged journalists to present the views
of local citizens to their elected representatives.
Roll Call
The group, which will meet quarterly, to review service delivery
and other performance indicators in the local councils are
Francois Kuilang of Radio Madumba, Bangangle, as secretary general
and Michel Ferdinand of Quotidien Mutations, Bafoussam.
The other members are Dexter Nana of Ouest Echos, Rostand Mell of
Radio Batcham, Andre Djapa, CRTV Ouest, Carole Leuwe, Radio Star,
and Alexis Mouliom, Noun Community Radio.
Centres for training journalists
Meanwhile, UNESCO has listed University of Lagos, Department of
Mass Communication, in Nigeria, as one of centers for training
Journalists in Africa.
The institution was chosen based on the curriculum, outside links,
strategy, management and finance.
Guy Berger and Corinne Matras, two European Journalists from
Lillie France, did the compilation and published in a study of
African journalists Training Centers.
Other Journalists training centers are Mass Communication
Department, Makerere University, Uganda, School of Journalism and
Mass Communications, Nairobi University, Kenya, Department of
Journalism, Stellenbosch University, South Africa School of
Journalism and Media Studies, Rhodes University, South Africa
School of Communication Studies, Walter Sisulu University, South
Africa
Department of Journalism, Tshwane University of Technology, South
Africa.
The lists also include School of Communication, Legal and
Secretarial Studies, Namibia Polytechnic, Mozambican School of
Journalism and
Ecole Superieure des Sciences ET Techniques de l’Information ET de
la Communication, Cameroon.
CJA Newsletter/ Qasim
Link To
External Sites For More:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001514/151496E.pdf.
