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The President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla has apologized on behalf of the entire team of partners to the Managing Director of Mercury International Martin E. Micheal for the omission of the institution in the two days media investment conference.
Martin E Michael has expressed concerns over the neglect of Mercury International during the recent Media investment conference.
The Managing Director posted on his Twitter Page ” You hold the 1st Media Investment conference in Sierra and you neglect to invite the largest investor in and sponsors of the media in Sierra Leone. Only in Sierra Leone would that happen “
It is no secret that Mercury International is one of the biggest sponsors of Print and Broadcast Media houses. Mercury intervention has been supporting Media houses through advertisements and other forms of assistance.
The Managing Director blames the SLAJ President and the Minister of Information and Communication for the neglect of inviting them to the conference.
The conference is a fulfillment of a campaign promise of President Bio who says he desires to see an independent media which can keep the government “honest and accountable.”
The government collaborated with the umbrella Sierra Association of Journalists (SLAJ) to convene the event which is ongoing at the Bintumani Hotel in the west end of Freetown.
The organizers say the event, dubbed: the ‘National Media Viability and Investment conference, was designed to diagnose the systemic challenges facing the media and identify solutions to woo potential investors.
Mr. Nasralla said on Thursday that it marked the beginning of efforts to address the challenges facing the media in Sierra Leone, which has contributed to entrenched poverty, thereby occasioning unprofessional journalism.
The conference was convened with financial and technical support from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the UK through the BBC Media Action.
The outcome of the conference is expected to provide a blueprint and road map to encourage investment in the media sector in Sierra Leone.
