For giving Kupe-Muanenguba rare media visibility: Communication Delegate, Dr Olive Ejang, gets prestigious distinction.

The celebrated delegate, ace journalist and communication consultant, was awarded for Excellence in Institutional Communication over the weekend.

It was during a ceremony to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the authoritative English language weekly newspaper, NewsWatch. 

The award is based on the assessment made by the jury of NewsWatch newspaper, on the exploits of the Communication Delegate for Kupe-Muanenguba, since assuming duty in 2021. 

Dr Ejang’s award was handed to her by Metuge Philip Ekaney, Inspector General at the Ministry of Communication, who represented the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi. 

Officials of NewsWatch said the award was in recognition of efforts made by some Cameroonians in their respective walks of life to contribute to nation building.

Justifying the choice of Dr Olive Ejang for the award, members of the award jury, comprising journalism heavyweights, explained that it was for her “unmatched dedication to public service and for giving Kupe-Muanenguba Division rare media visibility through the establishment of a divisional newspaper, radio and dedicated social media page”.

Expresses gratitude to NewsWatch team

Speaking after receiving the award, Dr Olive Ejang, expressed gratitude to the entire NewsWatch team and the jury members for recognising her works.

“I am so happy and honoured that my work in Kupe-Muanenguba has been recognised. Somebody somewhere is seeing what I am doing…I am grateful,” she said. 

The shining institutional communicator said she was more motivated to give wide visibility to the Kupe-Muanenguba because she met a Division “that was abandoned as far as media activities were concerned”.

“I met a Division without media exposure, no radio station, no newspaper, in fact no media organ,” she disclosed, noting that this got her to swing immediately into action; cognisant of the fact that “where there is the media, development follows”. 

The PhD holder who had researched on media balance of urban and rural Cameroon, said she started off by creating the journey of giving her area of command exposure by creating a “Facebook page for the Divisional Delegation of Communication,” to report on happenings of the administrative unit. 

“From a page, we said it is time we create a newspaper where people can read and keep information. And from the newspaper which is somehow elitist, we wanted an organ where the common Bakossi man can listen to his or herself in the Bakossi dialect and also get news in pidgin to see themselves in the media,” she recounted.

Hails hospitality of population 

Dr Olive Ejang attributed the strides recorded in a relatively short period to the hospitality of the population of Kupe-Muanenguba.

“It has been wonderful. The people are so receptive and happy that they have their own media organ in Bangem and it is reflecting on their traditions and cultures,” she said.

“I just want to thank them for the support they are giving me to do this work. Because if I did not have the support of the population, I won’t be able to achieve what I have today. I am thanking them for their collaboration and their support. I want to promise them that we are just starting. There is more in the package for Kupe-Muanenguba,” she said. 

She also expressed words of thanks to the moral and some financial support from elite of the Division. Accessing to information, Dr Olive Ejang said, remains challenging due to bad roads. 

“…we have so many bad roads. It is so difficult to access the Division. We climb on bikes; at times we trek into the bush to gather news. That is our major challenge,” she said. 

The situation on the ground, she said, has further been compounded by the crisis rocking the two English-speaking Regions. 

“…there are some areas that we cannot access because of the crisis. But we are struggling to get into the hinterlands,” she said.

About Dr Olive Ejang

Dr Olive Ejang is one of Cameroon’s outstanding female media brands. She had made a name in the private sector and has continued to shine in public service.

She is a graduate of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, JMC of the University of Buea. She holds a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Buea and a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, certificate in Sociology and Anthropology from the same university.

The Communication and development consultant worked for over a decade for the Buea-based authoritative Bi-weekly newspaper, The Post. She served as Kumba Bureau Chief of the media house. 

Dr Ejang has served at the Central services of the Ministry of Communication. She also worked in the Meme Divisional Delegation of Communication. 

The award-winning civil servant is also a former Divisional Delegate of Communication for Fako Division, from where she was posted to Kupe-Muanenguba in 2021.