The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) has elected a new executive and internal audit committees. The election was conducted during EAJA general meeting and strategy conference, which ran from May 25-27 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dr Muheldin Ahmed Idriss from Sudanese Journalists Union was voted as president, Alexandre Niyungeko from Union of Burundian Journalists was voted as first vice president, and Anteneh Abraham Babanto from Ethiopia National Journalists Union was elected as second vice president.Others include Omar Faruk Osman from the National Union of Somali Journalists who was re-elected as secretary-general, while Jane Uwimana of Rwanda Journalists Association (RJA) was voted new treasurer. The meeting was attended by 21 delegates from 10 unions and associations from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. In a statement received by The New Times, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) congratulated EAJA, and its affiliates on the successful conclusion of the meeting. “By arriving in Addis Ababa to fulfill constitutional duty, journalist unions in Eastern Africa have made us and the journalists of Africa proud and have once more secured the EAJA they want,” said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa director. The meeting mandated EAJA to carry out a strategic plan during the next five years. “This commits EAJA to strategically promote and defend media freedom and trade union rights,” Bajo said. “We look forward to working closely with them and maintaining a productive relationship with EAJA leaders.” The meeting for the first time elected a five-member Regional Gender Committee to foster gender equality in EAJA affiliated organisations and the media in the region. The meeting set the agenda for the next three years and passed resolutions on state of press freedom and trade union rights in the region, particularly in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Burundi, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. It also approved financial report presented by the outgoing Treasurer of EAJA Gaspard Safari. Uwimana, also the secretary-general of Rwanda Journalists Association, vowed to build strong financial base and appealed to members to pay financial contributions timely.
