{"id":300332,"date":"2025-08-11T12:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T11:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=300332"},"modified":"2025-08-02T14:59:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T13:59:22","slug":"changing-the-narrative-why-west-african-media-is-embracing-peace-journalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/08\/changing-the-narrative-why-west-african-media-is-embracing-peace-journalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing the Narrative: Why West African Media Is Embracing Peace Journalism"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Ahmed Maiyaki of MD KSMC, photo via KSMC.<\/p><\/div>\n

7 Jul 2025\u00a0<\/em>–\u00a0In a media landscape often dominated by sensationalism and conflict-driven content, a quiet revolution is taking place. Across West Africa, radio stations are tuning into peace. These media houses are shifting their focus to peace journalism, using their platforms to promote dialogue, resolve conflicts, and build resilient communities.<\/p>\n

At the forefront of this movement is Radio Peace, a community radio station located in the Central Region of Ghana. Co-initiator and Station Manager David Kwesi Ghartey-Tagoe explained that the station was born out of a desire to uplift marginalized voices in the region.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Radio Peace 88.9 FM, photo via Radio Peace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe Central Region, once the seat of government and the cradle of education, ironically became one of the most deprived. We named the station \u2018Peace\u2019 because peace is a prerequisite for development,\u201d he told Peace News Network (PNN)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When Radio Peace began operations in 1999, the region was grappling with numerous family and chieftaincy disputes. While not violent, these conflicts had the potential to escalate. The station responded by adopting participatory strategies like Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools to include community voices in its programming.<\/p>\n

Ghartey-Tagoe said that rather than rushing to break news, the station takes time to ensure that every side is heard, which he noted was necessary for accuracy and fairness. In 26 years, he said, the station had never been sued.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Radio Peace 88.9 FM Ghana, Co-initiator and Station Manager David Kwesi Ghartey-Tagoe, photo via Radio Peace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One example of the station\u2019s impact was in Effutu, a community plagued by annual chieftaincy disputes during its Deer Hunt Festival. \u201cThe Chief was often barred from attending the festival by rival factions. Police presence became routine. Through participatory programming and giving voice to all sides, the situation has calmed. The Chief now attends without incident,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Despite challenges in maintaining audience engagement, Radio Peace strikes a balance between entertainment and education. Ghartey-Tagoe added that the station does not believe it is in competition with anyone but itself, and that it sets its own goals and involves the community as much as possible.<\/p>\n

This model is resonating beyond Ghana. Peter Nsoesie, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of DASH TV in Douala, Cameroon, is designing a peace journalism module for his station.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeace is essential because unresolved issues over land, family, and resources can spiral into crises. Back in 2007, a community radio [station] called Voice of Manyu helped resolve several land disputes in Mamfe through peace journalism,\u201d Nsoesie shared. He emphasized that radio remains the most trusted medium in communities, even in the era of social media.<\/p>\n

The Nigerian perspective echoes the same commitment. Ahmed Maiyaki, Managing Director of Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC) located in North Western Nigeria, said broadcast stations have continued to focus on peace building content as a result of the wide impact and reach it drives on targeted audience, especially radio.<\/p>\n

\"\"
KSMC Head office located within the\u00a0Kaduna metropolis, photo via KSMC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He explained that Radio stations play a critical role in building and promoting peace among diverse communities across the West Africa region.\u00a0 \u201cIt gives a platform for community and citizens\u2019 engagement initiatives and advocacy with wide and indisputable reach to all segments of society,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Maiyaki shared a recent example where his station played a role in de-escalating tension and reprisal after some travellers were killed by local militias in Plateau State in North Central Nigeria on June 12. \u201cThe special program was designed to douse tension and mitigate possible escalation of the conflict,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said that KSMC has continued to initiate robust and citizen-centered content that builds and promotes peace and social cohesion in Kaduna State and beyond. KSMC does this, he said, by reaching five radio stations across the state, producing and broadcasting content in local languages for the state\u2019s diverse people.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo via KSMC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From Ghana, a presenter with Nananom FM 92.5, Mohammed Umar Al-Hussein highlighted how the station\u2019s morning show \u2018Maakye Show\u2019 includes segments dedicated to promoting peace and discouraging youth involvement in drugs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world has seen enough of the disasters brought by conflict. Peace journalism fosters relationships, national growth, and human rights. Its impact is real. Our listeners now understand the value of peace and seek to avoid conflict,\u201d Al-Hussein said.<\/p>\n

Aisha Gambo, a solutions journalism expert with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), supports this paradigm shift. \u201cPeople are tired of hearing bad news with no solutions. Peace and solutions journalism are changing that narrative. They report on responses to social issues so that other communities can learn and adapt,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

While she hasn\u2019t yet published a story that directly de-escalated tension, Gambo ensures her reporting never incites violence or hatred. She noted that after years of covering crime and corruption \u201cwith minimal change,\u201d peace or solutions journalism may possibly be able to deliver \u201cthe transformation we seek.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ibrahima Yakubu, Team Lead for the Network of Peace Journalists (NPJ) Nigeria, believes the entire continent is gradually embracing this approach because of its measurable impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeace journalism is reshaping Africa. In Nigeria, it is helping eliminate fake news and reduce division,\u201d he said. \u201cFor example, in 2016, when a state governor falsely accused a religious sect of terrorism, it was peace journalists who investigated and cleared the air. The community now lives peacefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yakubu also cited an incident in Southern Kaduna, where panic spread following reports of Fulani \u2018terrorists\u2019 migrating into the area. Peace journalists investigated and revealed the truth that the migrants were not terrorists. Their reporting restored calm to the community. \u201cPeace journalism reduces tension by sticking to facts, not social media speculation. That\u2019s how we stop chaos before it begins,\u201d Yakubu emphasized.<\/p>\n

Factors contributing to the trend<\/strong><\/p>\n

Factors contributing to the trend of media embracing peace journalism in West African countries include the desire to promote peaceful conflict resolution, a focus on community building and social harmony, and efforts to address hate speech and misinformation.<\/p>\n

Other factors include promoting positive narratives and facilitating understanding among warring communities in these countries.<\/p>\n

A Difficult But Growing Movement<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several challenges remain in implementing peace journalism in West Africa. The interviewees agreed that there is a lack of awareness and training on peace journalism practices among the majority of practitioners in the region.<\/p>\n

Insecurity is another challenge. Many journalists promoting peace journalism face intimidation and harassment in some hostile communities. Poor working conditions also hinder journalists from practicing peace journalism, as it requires resources to move around and gather information for reports.<\/p>\n

Religious and regional divisions pose another major challenge, as some journalists tend to write in ways that protect their religion or ethnicity.<\/p>\n

Still, as conflict and misinformation continue to pose challenges, peace journalism offers a hopeful path forward one that turns up the volume on truth, understanding, and unity. \u201cSo the increase in media going for peace stories means the future of Africa is bright,\u201d said Al-Hussein of Nananom FM.<\/p>\n

_____________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Mohammed Ibrahim is a multimedia\u00a0 freelance journalist in Kaduna State, Nigeria.\u00a0He graduated\u00a0from the International Institute of Journalism Abuja. In 2016 Mohammed received the Courage in Journalism Award for his investigative reporting, from the\u00a0Africa Media Development Foundation.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Go to Original – peacenews.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

7 Jul 2025\u00a0–\u00a0In a media landscape often dominated by sensationalism and conflict-driven content, a quiet revolution is taking place. Across West Africa, radio stations are shifting their focus to peace journalism, using their platforms to promote dialogue, resolve conflicts, and build resilient communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":91341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[237,2375,234,688,1965],"class_list":["post-300332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tms-peace-journalism","tag-africa","tag-alternative-media","tag-media","tag-peace-journalism","tag-west-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300332"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300337,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300332\/revisions\/300337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}