Some female media executives have said that conducive work environments should be provided for women, to make them thrive and flourish in their fields.
They spoke at a media dialogue in commemoration of the International Women’s Day hosted by the United Nations in Nigeria, on Wednesday.
The dialogue had as its theme: ‘Where Women Lead: A Conversation with Women at the Forefront of Media in Africa’.
Olusola Momoh, Vice Chairman, Channels Media Group, said in her remarks that every woman should be given the right and free opportunity to advance in her career.
According to her, female network groups that help incorporate a great sense of confidence and belonging in women should be present in all organisations.
This, she said, would give women a sense of belonging in any field they found themselves.
“In my organisation, we believe in peer mechanism and do a lot of mentoring through the network we have built because we do not tolerate any form of sexual harassment, gender discrimination or abuse.
“We have realised that it is when the office is very conducive that the workers can flourish, especially with the kind of work we do in the media.
“We encourage older women to mentor younger ones and share concerns with one another,” she said.
Similarly, Yolisa Phahle, CEO, General Entertainment and Connected Video, MultiChoice, South Africa, said it was important to build support groups for women.
She said that women had fascinating stories that shaped and helped them in their efforts to level up.
Reminiscing her experience as a child, Phahle said that the upbringing her father gave her had enabled her to compete as a woman in a field that was predominantly a mans world.
“We need to ensure that all levels of media have female representation because this will shape the way we see and interact with the world.
“As women, we owe it to ourselves to build alliances, networks, reach out to one another, share our stories and create a network that can make it possible to either mentor, advise or represent women of the media in a way we don’t do as much as we should,” she said.
According to her, Multichoice has consciously tried to ensure that women are appointed at all levels in the organisation.
“We owe it to ourselves to ensure that we are driving the agenda of transformation and proper representation
“We’ve been given opportunities to grow and it’s now important for us to open the door for others to follow,” she said.
Also, Tatiana Mouri, Deputy Group Managing Director, Aim Group of Stations in Nigeria, said that her position had given her the ability to be the change she wanted to see in the society.
“I believe that women are more sensitive to some issues than men because we use our emotional intelligence more.
“In my capacity as a female leader, I was able to reach out to the government and underprivileged when the first lockdown was announced in Nigeria.
“My organisation offered four hours of free daily educational content for less privileged children.
“I believe that because I’m a woman, I can relate to certain issues which men would necessarily not be able to relate to,” Mouri said.
Tamima Ibrahim, Head of Content, Switch TV, Kenya said that the media had a high responsibility of changing the existing narrative.
According to her, it is important for men and women at leadership levels to brainstorm together in order to produce high quality content.
Ibrahim said that having a network of supportive women was important, adding that women should not relegate themselves to be bottom feeders.
In her closing remarks, Nanette Braun, Director, Communications Campaign at the UN Headquarters in New York, said that the media had a critical role to play in key issues, especially gender parity.
She said that more women were needed in newsrooms and leadership roles in order to have a more realistic representation in news coverage.
“What we want is systemic change and it starts at the top,” she said. (NAN)
