WAN-IFRA Women in News project launched

The six-month programme of the initiative includes panel discussions, one-on-one coaching, training sessions and personal mentoring. The goal of the project, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), is to help women media professionals, who are under-represented in top management positions, to excel in their careers. This is the first phase of a multi-year project, which will expand in scope and be brought to other countries in Africa in 2011.

No quick fixes

"The Women in News programme aims to equip mid-level managers with the strategies, skills and support networks necessary to advance their careers and achieve their professional goals," said Kajsa Tornroth, director of Media Development for WAN-IFRA. "This is the first time WAN-IFRA has created a media development programme that specifically targets women media professionals, who far too often are absent from leadership positions within their organisations.

"We recognise that there are no 'quick fixes' when it comes to media development, and the WIN programme reflects WAN-IFRA's overall development strategy, which is to create and implement sustainable initiatives with long-term impact," she said. "We are excited about this pioneer programme, which we believe will effect real and quantifiable change."

The WIN programme is supported by an advisory board comprising media professionals with an interest in seeing the next generation of women media professionals succeed.

The board includes:

• Beata Kasale, co-owner and publisher of Botswana's The Voice,;
  
• Gwen Lister, founder and editor-in-chief of The Namibian;
  
• Ferial Haffajee, editor of the City Press newspaper in Johannesburg and chairperson of the South African National Editors Forum; and
  
• Yvonne Pele Shibemba, editor of "Education Post", a weekly supplement of The Post newspaper in Zambia.

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and WAN-IFRA are conducting a strategic partnership with the aim of advancing media development and press freedom worldwide. The partnership allows WAN-IFRA to broaden and develop its press freedom and media development activities to support free and financially sustainable media worldwide. A series of pilot projects to test new methods and approaches in strengthening media in emerging markets was launched this year.

For more on these projects, go to www.wan-press.org/pfreedom/articles.php?id=5826.