Media Foundation for West Africa

The organisation's strategies revolve around the participation of the media community. A discussion forum is available at the MFWA site. This network is the basis of strategies including advocacy efforts to defend and expand media freedoms; facilitation of programmes emphasising informed political debate, civic empowerment, and community participation; development of a database and information system for media practitioners, writers, communicators, researchers, policymakers, NGOs, and students; and the fostering of a media communications network.

Specifically, MFWA's advocacy platform mobilises international and local public opinion to support democratic laws. Ad hoc task forces are set up to provide advice to media, policy-makers, and legislators on these matters. In addition, MFWA monitors and publicises violations of and attacks on freedom of thought and expression. It also defends journalists, writers, artists, and other communicators against intimidation and other controls that could undermine free expression.

MFWA conducts research into human and media rights abuses in order to record trends and propose interventions. This effort involves periodic situational analyses, studies on media and freedom of expression, and an "alert" system that uses the MFWA website, e-mail, and the mass media to publicise violations or new legislation. Other publications include the magazine ZONGO-GIWA; human rights and related governance questions; briefing papers on developments and trends in media rights and freedom of expression; research reports with policy recommendations; and books and pamphlets. These publications are housed in the Documentation Centre.

Finally, MFWA organises conferences and workshops for legislators, policy makers, and human rights advocates. These sessions update participants on the status of, and developments in, media rights and expression. Training seminars focus on monitoring rights abuses, raising professional standards, and fostering media development through education and advocacy initiatives.

Media Development, Rights, Political Development.

MFWA has a current staff of eight full-time personnel and several part-time resource persons. In addition, correspondents and researchers associated with MFWA work in nearly every country in West Africa.

As of June 2007, MFWA is hosting the Secretariats of two organisations: Network of African Freedom of Expression Organisations (NAFEO) - a network of African free expression organisations dedicated to defend and promote media freedom and freedom of expression in Africa, and the West and Central Africa Human Rights Institute (WACAHRI) - an NGO that works in collaboration with the Center for the Study of Human Rights (CSHR) at Columbia University in New York City, United States and is committed to building human rights capacity in West and Central Africa by providing annual advanced human rights training, for human rights activists, advocates and civil society to enhance human rights issues in West and Central Africa.