Executive Members of the Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone (SWASAL) on Thursday 15th July, 2021 paid a courtesy call on the Ministry of Sports, at Bishop House in Freetown.
The purpose of the visit was to present the newly- elected National Executive to the minister and senior members of the ministry, and to also highlight plans on how the Association intends to work with the ministry and other sports regulating bodies, including the National Sports Authority (NSA).
SWASAL’s Executive Members congratulated the Minister of Sports, Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, on his recent recognition by FIFA for his contribution to the development of football and for his astute leadership that ensured Leone Stars qualified for AFCON 2022 in Cameroon after 25 years.
SWASAL President, Sahr Morris Jr., while speaking on the Association’s plan, said they intend to have a resource centre for sports reporting, reviving the national sports awards, creating opportunities for members to cover international matches on various sports activities and capacity building for the Association’s membership.
He further explained that SWASAL has already engaged NSA to sign an MOU that will improve their relation.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports, S.O.Z. Alghalie, congratulated the new leadership of SWASAL and assured them of the ministry’s commitment to partner with the Association at any given opportunity.
Deputy Minister of Sports, Kai Lawrence M’bayo, also congratulated the Executive and specifically threw light on responsible reporting and journalism practices.
“The impact of responsible reporting shows patriotism. We have been seeing negative and bad reportage from some sports journalists and that’s not patriotism. I trust that this body will ensure sports journalists report responsibly,” he noted.
Minister of Sports, Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, thanked SWASAL for a peaceful and transparent election process. He also expressed gratitude for the visit, describing the friendly partnership between the ministry and SWASAL as ‘splendid.’ He also pointed out that the ministry will ensure approval of any project proposal from SWASAL, which is geared towards the improvement of sports in the country.
“Since I took up office, the ministry has been supporting SWASAL and has been in a good relationship with the Association, except for some reason (s), which led to slow down in communication. Our government is committed to improving sports and the people around it. So we shall ensure and be pleased to support in any area our hands can be reach,” Minister Nyelenkeh said.
Climaxing the meeting, the SWASAL Executive presented a certificate of appreciation to the Ministry of Sports for and on behalf of the entire membership.