Libreville (Gabon), Nov 14, GNA – The Federation of African News Agencies (FAAPA) will support its members to strengthen their Internally Generated Funds (IGF) to sustain and advance their operations, the President of the continental body, Mr Fouad Arif, has assured.
Addressing members at the 10th Executive Council Meeting in Libreville, Mr Arif, who is the Director-General of the Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), said FAAPA would share and train business development officials of member agencies on the successful IGF model of Morocco’s thriving news agency.
This follows concerns raised by some members about inadequate and irregular state subventions, which were making it difficult for them to fund their operations.
Members observed that some governments were yet to appreciate the value of national news agencies to sustainable development, social cohesion and democratic consolidation, particularly, in the era of information disorder driven by unregulated social media.
Mr Arif emphasised the relevance of news agencies in providing credible and essential information for nation building and urged members to submit their proposals for consideration.
He noted that the Government of Morocco appreciated the importance of news agencies and, for that reason, continued to support FAAPA in providing capacity building and technical assistance to its members.
He assured members of support to strengthen FAAPA’s professional development networks on Women, Fact-Checking, Health Communication and related thematic areas.
FAAPA would also facilitate the coverage of the impending AFCON by journalists from member states.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Gabon’s Minister of Communication and Media, Mr Paul-Marie Gondjout, highlighted the need to invest in national news agencies.
He described support for news agencies as fundamental to safeguarding democracy and citizenship, saying their role had become “more crucial than ever” in the global fight against misinformation.
“News agencies serve as the moral compass of society, the guardians of social cohesion and the conveyors of truth,” he explained.
They must be given the necessary resources to continue producing quality information,” he emphasised.
The meeting is on the theme: “Press Agencies facing the Rise of Press Offences and the Responsibility of Journalists.”
Mr Gondjout spoke about the contemporary challenges confronting the media sector due to the proliferation of fake news and the rapid spread of unverified content.
He defined the noble mission of the press as a task of “enlightening without blinding, criticising without destroying, and informing in order to grow.”
Affirming the media’s status as a pillar of the Fifth Republic, he quoted the President of the Republic, Head of State and Head of Government: “Serving the press in Gabon means serving the truth; and serving the truth means rejecting lies, however convenient they may be.”
Commending FAAPA for its support to news agencies, Mr Gondjout said the Federation continued to remind the continent of the need to end the flow of “caricatured news” and defend its interests and image in a credible and professional manner.
Contributing to a panel discussion on the theme, Madam Oumou Barry, a former Director-General of the Ivorian News Agency (AIP), said the news agency remained the cornerstone of reliable and robust information and formed the backbone of the media production system.
The discussions, co-led by an experienced lawyer and a magistrate, reflected on the ethical and legal challenges of journalism in the digital age amid increasing cases of defamation and reputational harm on social media.
Madam Barry noted that a news agency without credibility was akin to a loudspeaker and encouraged journalists to pursue excellence and uphold the highest professional standards.
After members of the Council had evaluated the 2025 entries for the FAAPA Grand Prix, the Secretary-General of FAAPA, Mr Mohammed Anis, announced the winners of the three categories.
Usman Aliyu of the News Agency of Nigeria won the Feature Article category with his piece “Swipe to Survive”, which explores how digital payments are addressing youth unemployment in Nigeria.
Yacouba Soro of the Ivorian News Agency (AIP) won the Video Category with the story, “Plastic Waste: from pollutant to development lever”, highlighting innovators tackling the plastic waste menace.
The Best Photo Story went to Guylain Kipoke Omba of the Congo Kinshasa News Agency (ACP) for an image capturing a mother’s desperate effort to save her child from drowning in floodwaters after a 24-hour downpour.
The winners will receive 1,000 dollars each in January 2026 during FAAPA’s next General Assembly session in Marrakech, Morocco.
The four-day Council event ends on Friday, November 14.
Edited by Beatrice Asamani Savage