As part of their media training package, Student Officers of Senior Command and Staff Course 2024 from the Horton Command and Staff College (Regional Military Center of Excellence) visited and toured the facilities of the Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire in Freetown.
The delegation includes a Brigadier General and senior staff from the Ministry of Defence, comprising students from the Armed Forces of the Republic of Sierra Leone, as well as from Guinea, Gambia and Liberia is on a five-day sub-Regional study tour in Liberia.
Director of Defence Public Relations & Information in the Ministry of Defence, Sierra Leone, Colonel Issa Bangura said the purpose of the visit was to enhance the Students’ media awareness, how the media could impact military operations and get an experience of short media interviews live on Television and Radio.
Major Ibrahim Fullah expressed gratitude to AYV for the host and media tour, noting that it is a practical understanding of the role of the media in the work of the military and national affairs.
He said the experience gained during the media visit to AYV will have a lasting impact on them and will be helpful in their course and professor life in the future.
The Major expressed hope that AYV will continue to create the platform for subsequent course mates and colleagues that will want to come in the future.
Welcoming the gallant men of the Force, CEO or AYV, Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr. expressed how happy he was to host the Course in AYV premises.
He encouraged the soldiers to continue making more visits as AYV is always open to welcome them.
Led on a conducted tour by AYV’s Senior Producer and Acting Deputy Director of the News and Current Affairs Departments, David Remie Wilson, the Students were briefed on AYV’s key media activities.
Horton Command and Staff College builds capacity of Senior Officers of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF).
The Ministry of Defence is established to formulate, implement, monitor and evaluate strategic defence policy for the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces that is effective and fostered within a framework of democratic governance.
The functions and responsibilities of the Ministry of Defence are to provide guidance to the military headquarters (JFC) so that military preparations are made in accordance with the wishes of the Government.
It also has the role of demonstrating to the Finance Ministry that it both needs the money it has been allocated and is using it well; act as the link between the military and other government departments; answers questions of the Legislature on Defence matters; deals with the media as well as the public; ensures that the policy guidance and priorities from political authorities are reflected in the plans and budgets for the use of defence money and performs a quality management role.
