African countries have been urged to enhance collaborations in pursuing efficient industry self-driven regulation.
Media Council of Kenya CEO Mr David Omwoyo told members of the Gambia Press Unit who visited the Council on Tuesday that enhanced collaborations between media regulators remain crucial in ensuring dynamic, independent media ecosystems that serve the public interest through experience and information exchanges.
He said that the delicate balance that media regulatory bodies have to strike as they undertake their mandates calls for enhanced consultations between industry players.
He said the Council will remain steadfast in protecting press freedom and instituting measures aimed at uplifting working conditions for media workers.
“As Kenya's media regulator, we are collaborating with industry stakeholders to ensure press freedoms and guarantee responsibility and professionalism in the media sector. Allowance of self- regulatory media is very critical”, said Mr Omwoyo.
"In Kenya, we sincerely uphold the values of a free press as stated in our national constitution. But we also understand how important it is to follow ethical guidelines and practice responsible journalism”, said the CEO.
The Gambia team expressed desire to gain knowledge from MCK's expertise, especially with regard to negotiating the challenges of media regulation in a democratic setting.
"MCK's efforts to advance professionalism and media freedom are impressive and we look forward to implementing some of the strategies and best practices shared during this visit as we strive to strengthen our own media landscape in The Gambia”, said the President of The Gambia Press Unit Mr Muhammed Bah.
During the visit, both sides pledged to keep promoting communication and collaboration in the areas of press freedom and media regulation. These effforts are aimed at strengthening democratic values and to safeguard the rights of journalists throughout the continent.