Salé, 23/01/2024 (MAP) – The 7th General Assembly of the Atlantic Federation of African Press Agencies (FAAPA), held under the theme « African newsmaking: a major sovereign stake », wrapped up Tuesday in Salé, with the awarding of the Federation’s Grands Prix for the 2022 and 2023 editions.
For the year 2022, the Grand Prix for best article was awarded to Abdoulaye Diallo, journalist at the Senegalese Press Agency (APS), while that for best video report was presented to Kamongnin Sylla, journalist at the Ivorian Press Agency (AIP), and that for best photo to Ahou Suzanne Konan, reporter-photographer at AIP.
The winners of the 2023 FAAPA Grand Prix were Oumar Sankaré, a journalist at the Malian Press and Advertising Agency (AMAP), for best article, Abou Anatole Konate, a journalist at the Ivoirian Press Agency, for best video report, and Blaise Irenge, a reporter-photographer at the Congolese Press Agency (ACP) for best photo.
The two-day General Assembly was also marked by the adoption of the Federation’s action plan for 2024, which covers several areas: organization, professional training and qualification, multimedia, communication, cooperation and partnership.
It also examined and adopted the report of the 6th General Assembly, the report on the Executive Council meetings, the report on training seminars, and the financial report.
Participants in a panel discussion organized as part of the General Assembly under the theme « African Sovereignty in Action: Perspectives on Information and the Initiative for the Atlantic region », stressed that Press agencies have a major role to play in promoting informational cooperation along the Atlantic region and in preserving the media sovereignty of the continent’s countries.
A major conference at the Policy Center for the New South at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University was also organized as part of the General Assembly, to discuss the many facets of the African Atlantic’s potential and explore avenues for sustainable development and regional integration in the region.
Participants at the meeting highly commended HM King Mohammed VI’s strategic initiative to enable Atlantic access for Sahel countries, emphasizing that it is the illustration of Morocco’s firm commitment to the development of Africa and the strengthening of South-South cooperation.
At the close of the General Assembly, five bilateral cooperation agreements were signed between FAAPA member news agencies.
It should be noted that FAAPA will hold its 8th General Assembly next October, which will coincide with the Federation’s 10th anniversary.
Established on October 14, 2014, in Casablanca, the Atlantic Federation of African Press Agencies is a professional platform for reflection on the future of press agencies and the role they must play in the 21st century, taking into account their diversities and respective specificities, considering the profound changes characterizing the media landscape in the context of globalization and the multimedia era.
