African community radios go on line

Montreal, June 21, 2005. Five African community radio stations have opened their Web portals to the world, and more will follow their lead as part of a project that seeks to strengthen radio broadcasting on the continent, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) in Africa announced today.

The CATIA program "Building Broadcasting in Africa" is a strategic multi-partner initiative that uses radio to help increase access to information. The three main partner organizations are AMARC Africa, One World and the Panos Institute. The program focuses on four main measures that together provide a strategic approach to building the effectiveness of radio as a tool for democratization, development and action against poverty. These measures are: providing access to technology, building training and technical knowledge, investing in content development and providing access to information sharing.

With their new portals, community radios Mecap FM (Togo), Niani FM (Senegal), Radio Baniganse (Benin), Radio Khwezi (South Africa), Radio Yopougon (Ivory Coast) will be able to acquire new technical skills, exchange information and resources, improve communication, and increase their visibility in the region.

AMARC Africa serves and supports over 385 member radio stations in all regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) is an international non-governmental organization serving the community radio movement. It has more than 3,000 members in over 110 countries.

To visit the new Web sites, please go to http://www.africa.amarc.org or http://www.radios.amarc.org

For more information please contact Shingai Nyoka at comofficer at amarcafrica.org