Senegalese minister of Communication, Alioune Sall, announced that the government has increased Press Development Fund to 4 BillionCFA Francs an equivalent of 464 million dalasis.
The minister explained that this fund, initially set at 1.9 billion CFA francs, equivalent to D220.4 million was increased to 4 billion CFA francs (110%) thanks to recovery efforts carried out since his arrival at the ministry.
“In the space of three months, we negotiated with the finance services and recovered royalties, which made it possible to reach this amount. An additional two billion were allocated to this fund to support the sector. This brings the press fund to 4 billion,” he said during a meeting held Tuesday to present the official list of media recognised by the State of Senegal.
Alioune Sall stressed the need to restructure the Senegalese media landscape to better identify the players in the sector and fully exploit its opportunities. “By recognising all the bodies and clarifying who is who, we will be able to discover niches in the media sector, allowing us to recover significant sums,” he explained.
Combating the precariousness of journalists
The minister also raised the issue of the precariousness of media professionals, particularly young reporters. “We must ensure that journalists can make a decent living from their profession. This fund is a first step towards solving the problems of financing the media, advertising and conventions, and improving the working conditions of the players in the sector.”
This increase in the Press Development Fund is part of a stated desire to strengthen a sector considered “strategic”, while offering better conditions to the professionals who work there.
(Source: PressAfrik)
