By Sainabou Sambou
Following her election as President of The Gambia Press Union, Isatou Keita expressed her vision for the organization’s future. During her announcement, she outlined several key initiatives to enhance the Union’s role in promoting press freedom, supporting journalists, and improving training programs.
Keita emphasized the importance of fostering a collaborative environment that empowers members and strengthens the Union’s influence in advocating for media rights in The Gambia.
She is committed to building on the successes of her predecessors while introducing innovation predecessors’ successes and current challenges facing the press.
In her statement, Isatou Keita, the former vice president of the outgoing board, stated that she wants an all-inclusive GPU to help accelerate the Union’s growth and development.
She indicated that she envisaged securing land for the Union, which the previous board started working on.
She recounted that her executive board will conduct a capacity assessment of the GPU Secretariat to understand its capacity needs and gaps and provide the necessary professional development to advance it.
She further stated that she would work with her team to set up a fundraising committee.
She said, “We will also assess the Union’s current strategy plan to ensure its alignment with the current realities for implementation in the next three years. We will also see how membership dues payment will be improved.”
She urged members to be more committed to the Union’s development and promote unity amongst the membership.
“When we are united, we will be able to push the GPU forward, but when we are divided, it will be very difficult for us to tackle issues that affect us,” she stated.
She promised that the Union would endeavor to embrace the digitalization of its membership registration form and equally the payment process so that members can easily facilitate their dues and registration process.
“I have seen most of us struggle to pay membership dues because people need to fill out a form and ensure that they are able to take it back to the union,” she reflected.
She said that her team will promote the Media Council of the Gambia to effectively perform its mandate and even go beyond what the council currently does.
She called on journalists to collaborate and work towards achieving the Union’s best interests. She reminded journalists to hold people accountable and also to be accountable to themselves.
She added: “Whatever we say should be something that should be backed with proof and evidence.”
She promised that her board would work in the best interest of the journalists and would always ensure that people felt part of the GPU.
Kieta is the youngest and the second woman to be President of the Gambia Press Union, which was founded in the early 1970s.
