Gambian Radio & TV Delegation met with AUB Staff, discussed upcoming AFCON broadcasting issues
On Thursday, October 7, 2021, a Four-man Delegation headed by Mr. Malick JENG, the newly appointed Director General of the Gambian Radio and Television Services (GRTS) was welcomed at the AUB’s Headquarters, in Dakar.
The visit came against the backdrop of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2021), scheduled to take place from January 9, to February 06, 2022 in Cameroon.
From the outset, Mrs. Evelyne FAYE, representing the AUB’s Chief Executive Officer, wished a warm welcome to the Gambian Delegation, thus inviting GRTS’s Special Envoys to “get familiar with your Union”, she said
To this effect, Mrs. Margaret KOMOL, the AUB CEO’s Assistant presented to the hosts, a panorama of activities undertaken by the Organization for a couple of years: “As a growing Union, AUB is handling the broadcasting rights of major sporting events like the Africa Cup of Nations, the Beach Soccer AFCON as well as the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers which are ongoing. AUB is also deeply involved in the training and capacity-building of Media Professionals on various topics like Covid-19, climate change, Natural Disasters, Migrations, Sports commentary and production and the exploitation of broadcasting rights”, she held.
Mrs. Audrey KAMSU, the head of AUB’s Network of Content Exchange presented the many advantages of the platform thus encouraging the Gambian Media Professionals to upload more frequently, quality contents that can better tell the story of sons and daughters of their Nation.
The Union is leaving no stone unturned for the satisfaction of its Members, AUB CEO's Representative ensured the Gambian Delegation. In cohesion with previous years, Madam FAYE said, the Union will deploy a Team of reporters on the various sites scheduled to welcome AFCON games.
The aim of this operation is to produce High Definition productions for the benefit of AUB members. These productions would allow the Union promote the competition, stress on the specificities of participating countries and bring to a worldwide audience, insights of events surrounding the tournament.
In the same vein, the Director General of GRTS disclosed that his teams of reporters have started gathering key information for the production of a magazine dubbed “Road to Cameroon” to be aired before and during AFCON.
The meeting also gave the opportunity to discuss other aspects of the Africa Cup of Nations and financial constraints encountered by Nations involved in the Tournament.
From a marketing standpoint, Mrs Faye encouraged GRTS to capitalize on the commercialization of AFCON Rights on its territory. Before leaving Dakar, the Gambian Delegation promised to get back to the Union whenever need be.
For their first qualification in an Africa Cup of Nations, the Scorpions of Gambia are undoubtedly very proud of their performance. In Group F alongside Tunisia, Mali and Mauritania, they would be based in Limbé, the coastal city located on the southern slope of Mount Cameroon, next to the Atlantic Ocean.
Irene GAOUDA
