The Media Council of Malawi has emphasised the need to uplift community radios in the country as they play a huge role in promoting development and community engagements.
The remarks were made on Friday in Salima during a Community Radio Managers Assembly which brought together media managers from community radio stations across the country and other stakeholders in the media industry.
The assembly aimed at giving a platform for community radios to discuss and share best practices, as well as explore opportunities for sustainable operations and enhancing their impact in local development.
Speaking during the event, MCM’s vice board chairperson Patricia Kamnkhwani said community radios are crucial hence the need to create a platform that addresses challenges hindering their potential.
She urged the participants to use the meeting as a platform to discuss challenges and share possible solutions which will not only grow their stations, but also the media sector at large.
“Community Radio is not just a medium, it is a platform that amplifies the voices of our community. It fosters participation and dialogue, champions social change and each of your stations play an important role. Your commitment is undoubtedly shaping the future of media in Malawi,” she said.
She added that there is need for collaboration among community radio stations to uplift the voices of communities through the Association of Radio Stations (ACORA). She urged the community media managers to approach the discussions with openness and enthusiasm.
In his remarks, Board Chairperson for the Association of Community Radios (ACORA) George Jobe expressed gratitude to Media Council of Malawi and UNESCO as the meeting also marked the associations long awaited General Assembly.
While urging community media managers to collaborate for their growth, Jobe believes the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) project which is being implemented by MCM will help in addressing challenges faced by community radio stations in Malawi and help them contribute towards local development.
“The project has an element of capacity building and this meeting is part it, where we have adopted a recently reviewed ACORA Constitution. Questions that the stations had during this meeting have been answered. Of course, in the project there are some activities like capacity building of radio stations on financial management, governance and the like. We believe that this is crucial in the running of the stations,” he said.
Acting Deputy Executive Secretary for UNESCO Commission David Mulera highlighted poor governance as some of the challenges facing community radio stations in the country of which he is certain the project will address.
“Without capacity building, the radio stations cannot fulfil their potential. You are agents of change, thereby a need for you to work together,” he said.
MCM has since assured its commitment to ensuring close cooperation and full engagement of the Association of Community Radio Stations (ACORA); a network of all community radios.
The project which started in November last year, will end in July this year.
