The City Mayor of Kumba, Gregory Ntemoyok Mewanu, has pledged continued and unconditional support to journalists and media practitioners, reaffirming the Kumba City Council’s support for professional development in the media.
The commitment was made during the closing ceremony of the CAMASEJ South West Mega Seminar, held at the Kumba City Council Hall under the theme, “Improving Journalists’ Understanding of the Decentralization Processes in Cameroon.” Organized by CAMASEJ Kumba Chapter in partnership with the Kumba City Council, the two-day seminar brought together over 80 journalists from across the South West Region.
Addressing participants, City Mayor, Greg Mewanu thanked CAMASEJ, the journalists and facilitators for choosing Kumba to host the seminar, while assuring the media community of his continued support.
“I pledge to continue supporting, unconditionally, the reporters, the intelligentsia and the very important persons that contribute to reporting, to the development of not only Kumba, Meme, South West Region of Cameroon, but Africa.”
The City Mayor also highlighted the importance of continuous learning, noting that his support for the seminar was equally an opportunity for him to learn from the resource persons and experienced journalists. He particularly appreciated the sessions on decentralization, which he said broadened his understanding of the subject.
Speaking during the event, the National President of CAMASEJ, Jude Viban, stressed the need for journalists to apply the knowledge gained during capacity-building programmes in their daily work.
“Journalism is not a profession in which knowledge should remain in the notebook. It must travel from the notebook to the newsroom, from the newsroom to the field, and from the field to the public.”
For his part, the CAMASEJ Kumba Chapter President, Nzaih Bweh, appreciated the City Mayor and the Kumba City Council for their support, particularly the Mayor’s financial contribution towards the seminar.
“Words alone cannot totally express our joy and enthusiasm for your unwavering commitment in single-handedly dishing out more than twelve million (12,000,000) frs for the organization of this workshop. In history, you have been the first City Mayor to empower the media through capacity building of this magnitude.”
The seminar concluded with the presentation of certificates of participation to journalists, while CAMASEJ Kumba presented a Vote of Thanks to the City Mayor, Greg Mewanu, with the Chapter President appreciating him on behalf of the association for his support throughout the mega seminar.
By Esua Fabrino-Bryce
