In a grate effort to strengthen the country’s media landscape, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), with support from the European Union through BBC Media Action, held an orientation for 70 female journalists on Friday, 12th December 2025. The orientation is in preparation for their upcoming Digital Media Literacy Training, which will begin in early January 2026 at Limkokwing University of Innovation and Technology in Freetown.
The ceremony, held at the university, marked the beginning of a six-week digital literacy program aimed at equipping female journalists with essential digital skills.
Originally planned for 30 participants, SLAJ President Alhaji Manika Kamara noted that due to the overwhelming number of women in the media, he and his team advocated to their partners and Limkokwing University to increase the number of participants. As a result, 70 women will now benefit from the training.
In his speech, Kamara highlighted the importance of digital literacy in today’s rapidly evolving media environment, where misinformation spreads faster than ever. “Empowering our female journalists with media literacy tools is a crucial step toward building a more informed and resilient society,” he stated. He also expressed sincere gratitude to the partners for their ongoing investment in media freedom, media development, and democratic governance in Sierra Leone, emphasizing that this support ensures journalists, especially women, are not only able to participate but to compete and lead in the media sector.
Hassan Kamara, Head of the Department of Communications, Media, and Broadcasting at Limkokwing University, welcomed the shortlisted participants to the institution. He encouraged them to make the most of the opportunity and warned that absenteeism could result in them not receiving a certificate at the end of the six-week program. He also underscored the significance of digital skills for modern journalism.
Evenly Turay, a journalist from Bo and one of the participants in the training, thanked SLAJ and the partners for providing this opportunity. She noted that many journalists from the provinces, particularly in Bo, struggle to operate digital tools like Adobe software. “We promise to make the most of this opportunity and make the team proud,” she said.
The orientation ceremony marks a new chapter for Sierra Leone’s media sector, aiming to integrate gender-balanced, digitally savvy reporting into the nation’s democratic development.
