An agenda to foster the media’s commitment to fair gender representation and respecting the views of especially women and other marginalized groups has taken off in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

This follows the conclusion of a two-year gender equity and women empowerment project in the media landscape in the two West African countries, organized by Canal France International (CFI) an European media development agency, in partnership with the Media Foundation for West Africa.

The “Equal Voices” project, which was implemented in the two countries, aimed to combat gender inequalities and stereotypes in the media.

The project provided space for some selected journalists and media organizations from the two countries to gain valuable insights into gender sensitive reporting and women's empowerment.

They were exposed to practical training and mentorship sessions that allowed them to appreciate the rudiments in reporting and writing articles on gender sensitive topics.

Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, urged utter commitment to ending gender stereotypes and building an inclusive media.

He highlighted the essence of an inclusive media that represents the voices of all, expressing optimism for the start of an equitable media environment and culture.

“We have started internal talks at the MFWA to ensure this doesn’t end here. I am confident this would be the beginning of empowering women in our newsroom,” he said.

Africa Director for CFI, Jocelyn Grange, impressed on the culture of trumpeting matters concerning women and other marginalized groups.

At the end of the project, four of the eight selected media organizations were awarded for the innovative and exceptional initiatives to promote gender equity at the organizational level and educate their audience.

Radio Soleil in Côte d’Ivoire emerged first and was awarded 2,000 euros, while A1 Radio in the Upper East region of Ghana came second.

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation unit in Kumasi came third while Daloa FM in the west of Côte d’Ivoire was recognised with the Encouragement Prize.