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Peter Beckley, State House Communications Manager has stated in that President Julius Maada Bio is ready to support the media in Sierra Leone.
Speaking to NewsWatch TV, the State House Communications Manager referenced Bio’s financial commitment to the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) for the support to media houses across the country.
“In 2019, the President supported SLAJ with the sum of 100 million Old Leones and in 2021 that amount was increased to 500 million Old Leones,” Beckley said.
He added that the subvention has been incremental in subsequent years with 2022 being 750 million Old Leones and 2.5 billion Old Leones in 2024.
“This is one thing that a lot of journalists appreciate because they were not expecting such,” He said.
He clarified that funds were not meant for the SLAJ to share and counted on the “integrity of SLAJ” to utilise the funds for the intended purpose which is to build and develop the media landscape in Sierra Leone.
The Press in Sierra Leone is considered one of the poorest in the West African sub-region with most media houses relying on advertising from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and few corporate institutions for finances. Some members of the public urged the leadership of SLAJ to utilise the money in building the capacity of media houses in the country.
Although, Bio is not the first president to accord financial support to the media, critics, are however concerned about the amount of money being spent by his administration on the media. Some are accusing the president of buying the press which serves as the fourth estate in any democratic state.
