The
Minister of Information has said his ministry and the government would try to
do their utmost to build the capacity of media houses across the country.
Minister
Jawo made this remark yesterday at The Point Newspaper office during his
familiarization tour of media houses.
He
reiterated that since Deyda Hydara was killed he has continued to work with the
management of The Point to see ensure Deyda’s legacy lives on and that he would
do “absolutely everything possibly” to ensure the paper continues its function.
He
stated that he has toured the office and seen the constraints the management is
facing with challenges such as machines and paper yet it still manages to come
out every day and that he is really impressed with The Point.
“I
can assure you that the ministry we will do their utmost to build the capacity
of the various media houses because it is in the interest of the Government and
all Gambians that the media is given the capacity to be able to operate,” he
said.
Malik
Jones, the Deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Information,
Communication and Infrastructure, who accompanied the minister, said training
for journalists and other workers within media houses cannot be overemphasised.
DPS
Jones added that even though the training will be short-term, it will still be
relevant because it will help journalists to be able to report professionally.
The
General Manager of The Point Newspaper Philip Kotey, and the son of the late
Deyda Hydara, Baba Hydara, thanked Minister Jawo for the visit and welcomed him
back to his own place.
Baba
Hydara also spoke on behalf of Pap Saine citing the challenges The Point
newspaper is facing and how best the Information ministry should intervene in one
way or the other to make the work easier, especially in the area of production.
Ousman
Kargbo, the Chief-editor of The Point Newspaper, thanked the information
minister and his team for the courtesy call.
He
stated that the paper is facing numerous challenges among which are lack of
proper equipment, training for journalists, as well as access to information.
He
also called for draconian media laws in the country to be abrogated, adding
that lack of access to information is making the work of journalists very
difficult when it comes to reporting. He therefore emphasized the necessity for
press officers at the ministries and government departments through whom
journalists could also access information.
The
Point’s web manager Mary Banky Njie also thanked the minister and welcomed him back
to The Point as his office.
She
said they also need training for the layout editors to make their job easier,
adding that this will make the design of the newspaper improve.
“We
need new computers as well as furniture to be able to do our job well and when
we have all the necessary equipment it will help us to follow the trend in
terms of designing and making the newspaper nicer,” she said.
One
of the layout editors, who was injured in her leg during the assassination of
the late Deyda Hydara, Nian Sarang Jobe, also thanked the information minister
for his support in ensuring they got better medication at the time of the
incident. The information minister was then the president of the Gambia Press
Union.
