{"id":127211,"date":"2026-03-10T12:47:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/?p=127211"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:50:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:50:22","slug":"ecowas-and-directors-general-of-national-television-stations-strengthen-strategic-partnership-to-boost-ecowas-visibility-and-counter-misinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/?p=127211","title":{"rendered":"ECOWAS AND DIRECTORS-GENERAL OF NATIONAL TELEVISION STATIONS STRENGTHEN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO BOOST ECOWAS VISIBILITY AND COUNTER MISINFORMATION"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Directors-General of national television stations of Member States have reaffirmed their commitment to deepen strategic collaboration aimed at enhancing the visibility of ECOWAS programmes and countering misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and other harmful and anti-democratic narratives in the region. This was the key outcome of the Second Meeting of Directors-General of National Television Stations of ECOWAS Member States, held from 3 to 4 March 2026 in Cotonou, Republic of Benin.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Organised by the ECOWAS Commission through its Directorate of Communication, with the support of the Government of Germany, the two-day meeting brought together heads of national television stations and representatives of ECOWAS National Offices from 12 Member States. The meeting also had the participation of representatives from the Office of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the German Government and ECOWAS staff members.The primary objective of the meeting was to strengthen the regional communication framework, enhance the visibility of ECOWAS programmes and initiatives, and establish a sustainable mechanism for content sharing and professional collaboration among national public broadcasters.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 2nd meeting of the Directors General of national television stations\u00a0 built on the outcomes of the inaugural meeting held in September 2024, and reflects renewed efforts to strengthen cooperation between ECOWAS and state-owned media institutions. The partnership seeks to reinforce the role of public broadcasters in combating misinformation and disinformation about ECOWAS while expanding the coverage of the Community\u2019s programmes, activities, and achievements across the region.<\/p>\n

Participants acknowledged the critical role of public service media in promoting regional peace, security, democratic governance, and economic integration. They also highlighted emerging challenges, including the widening digital divide, the rapid spread of disinformation in the digital space, and the growing need to promote a cohesive and credible \u201c<\/strong>West African narrative.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

To address these challenges, the ECOWAS Commission and the Directors-General agreed on several key measures. These include the creation of a dedicated digital repository for the exchange of news reports, documentaries, and cultural programming related to ECOWAS. Each participating television station will also designate a focal person to work closely with ECOWAS National Offices and the Directorate of Communication.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the Directors General of national television stations \u00a0committed to allocating regular airtime for the dissemination of ECOWAS-produced content and programmes highlighting the Community\u2019s activities and regional integration efforts. In response to the growing threat of misinformation, they also agreed to establish a collaborative \u201c<\/strong>ECOWAS Media Fact-Check Network\u201d<\/strong> aimed at verifying regional information and promoting the dissemination of credible and accurate news across Member States.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, represented by his Senior Special Adviser, Mr. Abdoulie GASSAMA, underscored the critical role of national television stations \u00a0as trusted gateways for communicating ECOWAS initiatives to citizens across the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cState-owned media are not ordinary actors in the information ecosystem. They are custodians of public trust, guardians of verified truth, and architects of national and regional narratives. In times of uncertainty, citizens turn not to rumours but to credible public service media. ECOWAS is not asking you to be propagandists; rather, we ask you to be professional partners in truth \u2014 partners who inform with integrity, educate with balance, and scrutinize with responsibility. An informed citizenry remains the strongest foundation of regional integration,\u201d<\/em> he stated.<\/p>\n

Declaring the meeting open, the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Administration and Finance Committee (AFC), Mr. Komba MOMOH, represented by the Deputy Secretary of the ECOWAS National Office in Sierra Leone, Mrs. Laygbay Lilian AMADU, emphasized the importance of translating dialogue into concrete action through practical commitments, sustained programming, and stronger partnerships that will ensure consistent media coverage of ECOWAS activities.<\/p>\n

In a goodwill message, the Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in the Republic of Benin, Mr. Felix KRESS, noted that the meeting provided a valuable opportunity to review progress and further strengthen practical and sustainable collaboration between ECOWAS and national broadcasters.<\/p>\n

The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment by ECOWAS and Directors General of national television stations \u00a0to build a stronger regional information ecosystem that promotes credible journalism, counters harmful narratives, and amplifies the voice and achievements of regional Integration. Participants underscored that through sustained collaboration, professional exchange, and shared responsibility, public service media will continue to play a pivotal role in bringing ECOWAS closer to the citizens of West Africa and fostering a more informed, resilient, and united Community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Directors-General of national television stations of Member States have reaffirmed their commitment to deepen strategic collaboration aimed at enhancing the visibility of ECOWAS programmes and countering misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and other harmful and anti-democratic narratives in the region. This was the key outcome of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":127212,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[300,480,12,35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-news","category-info-cedeao-2","category-news","category-press-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=127211"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127242,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127211\/revisions\/127242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/127212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=127211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=127211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecowas.int\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=127211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}