The African Network of Environmental Journalists (ANEJ) is an organisation that seeks to promote public understanding of environmental issues in Africa by improving the quality, accuracy, and intensity of environmental reporting.

Vision

to enhance the capacity of African journalists to report on environmental issues through workshops, networking, information sharing, and institutional development.

Mission

The organisation, whose motto is “the voice of the African environment”, aims to increase the coverage of environmental issues in the media in Africa and beyond.

Our objectives include:

• mainstreaming environmental journalism in Africa;
• enhancing the capacity of African journalists to deal with existing and emerging environmental challenges;
• disseminating relevant information on environmental issues in Africa;
• promoting web journalism on environment and sustainable development in Africa;
• influencing decision making processes with regard to environmental policies in Africa; and
• disseminating information on the activities implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other relevant institutions, organisations, and governments.

Communication Strategies:

The ANEJ aims to achieve its objectives through the following activities:

1. Capacity Building: (UNEP and Network for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa, or NESDA)

• Organise or attend training workshops on environmental issues relevant to the region;
• Attend training workshops on environmental journalistic skills; and
• Launch an African Environmental Journalists award.

 

2. Networking:

 

• Recruit journalists interested in the network at the national and sub-regional level;
• Develop contacts with other similar international networks of journalists;
• Share experiences with other networks on environmental issues; and
• Build partnerships and strategic alliances with relevant organisations, in support of the goals of UNEP’s public awareness programme in the region.

 

3. Environmental information sharing and dissemination

 

• Elaborate on environmental initiatives and stories in the media;
• Monitor regional policy agenda and activities of relevant organisations;
• Create a website for the network;
• Develop and launch an online environmental news bulletin;
• Assist UNEP in information gathering and maintenance of the regional profile;
• Circulate UNEP news releases, information, and products in the region; and
• Exchange information on emerging issues.

 

4. Institutional Development

 

• Formulate status and by-laws;
• Secure accreditations to key UNEP and other relevant United Nations (UN) agencies; and
• Create sub-regional chapters (East, West, North, South, Central, and Small Islands).

Key Points:

ANEJ was conceived at the first workshop for African Environmental Journalists that was held at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, November 26-28 2002. Attendees included 18 journalists from radio, television, and newspaper houses in Mauritania, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, the Seychelles, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The objectives of the workshop were to: discuss the main environmental challenges facing Africa; facilitate information sharing and access to sources of information; put in place a long-term information dissemination system and monitoring of its effectiveness in influencing policy; discuss the best methodology in networking; and set up a dynamic network of environmental journalists for Africa.