The first-ever Media Annual Sustainability and Leadership Network Forum concluded on Thursday in Juba, 14th September 2023.
The forum is to facilitate greater collaboration, exchange of experiences, and learning between the media and the private sector thus opening pathways for business relationships.
It was organized by the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) through the support of IREX, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
The Chief of Party of an International Organization IREX, Farhanaz Kermalli says her organization is supporting local media in South Sudan.
Farhanaz says their work has been to improve access to creditable and reliable information for South Sudanese citizens for the last two years.
She urges journalists to open new ideas to the challenges of their profession and partners to see possible ways of investing in the Media sector.
The Chairperson of AMDISS, Koang Pal Chang says the Association is building the capacity of journalists and advocating for freedom of expression in the country.
“AMDISS is to speak for itself and AMDISS Advocate for Development of Media bill that Terminate to 3 Media art and Deter Media environment in South Sudan. We ask ourselves again how we can ensure that Media play ruled as washed dog role and how a journalist can do their work without being intimidated by Arrest but through Media Authority.”
Koang is concerned about the unfavorable political environment that prevents the media from doing effective work.
“This political environment has to be changed or has to happen because when positions are fighting everything is not secure, and all of us have been hearing that our politician has adopted the strategy of no peace no war which means no stability.”
acknowledged the positive role of the media in keeping people informed about the government’s activities on peace implementation.
“As a government, we welcome search initiative by our national media search as AMDISS, the conflict period of time has drilling our development.”
Hon. Jacob encourages the Media houses to do more civic education on next year’s election to enlighten the public on voting rights and procedure.
The forum is to promote local ownership and sustainability of media institutions.
Participants are from the media development partners, private sector, government, donors, local media houses, and organizations including media from the region.