PAL President Alphonso Toweh
The Publishers Association of Liberia (PAL) is set to benefit from technical assistance, training, and scholarships following a series of high-level meetings with Moroccan media institutions in Rabat last week.
PAL President Alphonso Toweh and Mohamed Kanneh, publisher of The Heritage Newspaper, who are in Rabat, Morocco, held discussions with the Moroccan Press Association, leading printing firms, journalism training institutes, and the country’s media content regulator.
All expressed willingness to support Liberia’s media sector.
Meeting with Moroccan Press Association President Abdelhabim El Morabit, the Moroccan side said it was ready to provide technical assistance in response to PAL’s request.
“With the request you have made to us, we are glad to look into them and will provide some of your needs. We in Morocco are always willing to help our African brothers,” El Morabit said on behalf of the association.
At Le Matin, Morocco’s largest printing company, President Mohammed Haitami said his organization would work closely with Liberian media given PAL’s interest in establishing cooperation.
A Moroccan institute that trains journalists from across Africa also offered scholarships for young Liberian journalists. Officials noted that no Liberian student has attended the school since it was established over 50 years ago.
“You have had students from several countries in Africa and outside of the continent. There is no Liberian. We would like to see some young Liberian journalists come and get the water of extra knowledge from Morocco, so that they can become ambassadors for you tomorrow in the next academic year,” one official said.
Mohssine Benzakour, Director of Student Affairs at the Institute of Information and Communication, confirmed the institute was prepared to move forward with the offer.
The PAL delegation also engaged with Morocco’s audio-visual content regulator, which operates a software used to monitor broadcast content, airtime allocation, and other media outputs. The system is already in use in 14 countries, including some in Europe.
“We will be glad to help Liberia with this. We have 14 countries using this software today and we will be glad to include Liberia when you make the request,” said Latifa Akharbach, President of the Institute for Audio Visual Communication.
PAL said it would submit a formal request to Moroccan authorities soon, but asked that the discussions be treated as a verbal request to pave the way.
The association thanked the Kingdom of Morocco and its embassy in Monrovia for facilitating the opportunity. It also appealed to other friendly countries to support Liberia’s media sector in strengthening skills and capacity.
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