Bishop Befe Ateba Takes Over Communication Council

Emmanuel Kendemeh

21 July 2011

The Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang Wednesday, July 20 instructed the National Communication Council to ensure that all media have equal access to information and that they abide by the rules in the coverage of the upcoming 2011 presidential election in the country.

The Head of Government spoke at the Star Building in Yaounde, while chairing the commissioning ceremony of Bishop Joseph Befe Ateba of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kribi as the new Chairman of the National Communication Council. Bishop Befe Ateba appointed on July 7, 201, replaces late Felix Sabal Lecco, pioneer chair of the Council who died last year.

The National Communication Council is a consultative body placed under the authority of the Prime Minister with the key mission to assist the authorities in the elaboration, implementation and follow up of the national policy on communication.

Mr Yang said the new chairman was coming in at the time preparations were intensifying for this year’s presidential election and a period during which media organs, especially audiovisual were indulging in unethical practices.

Progress in telecommunications, audiovisual and computer technologies, he said were, opening up new perspectives in the country. The problem of attributing air time frequencies to audiovisual press organs was an acute one. The National Communication Council has to tackle the challenges.

It is incumbent on the institution to help government in making choices in order to enable Cameroon’s media landscape conform with international norms. The Council has to make recommendations to government with regard to respect of ethics in social communication.

The urgent mission of the council is to give an honourable and a more dignifying image to the media landscape in the country. The Head of Government lauded the qualities in Bishop Befe Ateba who is also a journalist that will put the media in the country at the service of man and not a political or interest group.

He promised government’s support and more especially that of the Prime Minister’s Office. Some members of government, members of the National Communication Council, scores of journalists and religious officials, attended the ceremony.

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