By Fatou Dahaba
On Wednesday, the Media Academy for Journalism and Communication (MAJaC) introduced the Young Women Media and Information Literacy Initiative (#YoMIL) at Bakadaji Hotel, Kotu. The initiative aims to eliminate gender inequality and discrimination by organizing media literacy training for 280 young women from media and civil society organizations across all seven regions of the Gambia.
The project will empower young women in the Gambia to be assertive and contribute equally and confidently to strengthening democracy in the Gambia.
The project will publish the first Gambian Young Women’s Media Guide (#YWMG), an offline app that complements the guide and allows users to access it digitally. For the first time in The Gambia, the project will host the first-ever Media Conference / Summit, scheduled for 2025.
In her official opening remarks, Amie Bojang Sissoho, Director of Press and Public Relations (DPPR), Office of the President, underscored the importance and timing of the project to empower women media workers.
Madam Sissoho reveals that media literacy allows young women to define media as a tool to convey their messages by disseminating information they have acquired and verified, thus making them information literate in creating content.
She said there’s a need for media literacy skills to take advantage of technology in modern society and advance opinions using various platforms that enhance the right to access information, giving women the opportunity to use media literacy responsively.
Additionally, she reaffirmed that modern-day communication is affected by technological advancements; hence, young women in media should take advantage of this to enhance information literacy and assert their abilities and skills to speak up and tell their stories.
“I urged women to check facts, get the right data, and avoid speculations that can cause societal kiosks. Let them use technology and enlighten society by uplifting one another with knowledge through creating and shaping information for a better-informed country.”
The DPPR further advised women in media to use social media positively and always reflect on the motive of their posts and access, whether it affects the dignity of a fellow woman or minor because damage can cause a person for a lifetime.
“Young women in media, you can take control of the narratives and debunked stereotypes about yourselves, be changed agents that hold public officials accountable with professionalism and ethical values to better influence society. When Uplifting, uplift with love and respect each other without being naïve.”
Nenneh Macdoll Gaye, Chairperson of the Access to Information Commission, spoke on harnessing the power of media and information for gender equality in The Gambia and noted that meaningful development cannot occur without gender equality, and media is one of the most influential and positive tools for promoting it.
To harness the power of the media for gender equality, she said women should use the media to educate, sensitize, raise awareness campaigns, and create content that is fit for purpose. All of these activities should be aligned with gender equality and strategic to meet the target audience.
“Even though women dominate the media and are steadily growing, there are other challenges such as female representation in the political arena still remains very low, as well as economic challenges, access to resources, gender base violence and workplace Barr are all hurdles facing women, despite these factors, positive impacts have been made, all thanks to the media.”
She disclosed that using the media wisely can bridge stereotypes and bring about change that benefits people and society.
Meita Touray, Project Manager, said the project seeks to address challenges by empowering women in the media sector through media and information literacy training.
Participants will be trained in digital literacy, advocacy, analysis, and critical thinking, among other thematic areas.
She said this would boost women’s confidence in speaking freely and contribute their voices to equity and women’s empowerment conversations.
“Young women in this project will work closely with experts, trainers, and editors to produce a standard working guide for young women in the media. Also, a summit will be organized for the first time and serve as a pioneering platform that highlights and tackles gender disparities in the Gambia media landscape. It will foster mentorship and strategic development among young media professionals, students, and key stakeholders.”
James Badjie, Director of Training at MAJaC, said the collaboration between MAJaC and r0g_agency for open culture and critical transformation represents a powerful step towards fostering a more inclusive, diverse media landscape in the country.
Nyima Jadama, YoMIL Project Founder and Content Lead, said the project would provide solutions and address the challenges facing women in media for far too long by empowering them with the necessary tools to build their capacities.
The event concluded with a panel discussion on the role of women in the media, information literacy, and tackling gender-based challenges and stereotypes in the media.
