14 media outlets across Sierra Leone, spanning radio, television, and print media have been awarded grants under the National Fund for Public Interest Media (NaFPIM). The funding aims to strengthen investigative journalism, amplify human-interest stories, and build newsroom capacity nationwide.
Grant amounts range from $7,000 awarded to Liberty Online Television to $2,500 for Calabash Newspaper, with several outlets earmarking the funds for equipment upgrades and staff training to enhance editorial output.
“Many doubted this would ever happen,” said Francis Sowa, National Coordinator of the Media Reform Coordinating Group. “It’s been a long journey; over 35 applications were rigorously screened and reviewed before final selections were made.”
Recipients include: AYV Media in Freetown, Radio Bankasoka in Port Loko, Voice of Kono in Kono, Radio Gbaft, The Nature Newspaper, Shalom Radio, Classic Radio and Hands of Hope among others
The grants were made possible through the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), in partnership with BBC Media Action, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), and the Media Reform Coordinating Group.
NaFPIM was born out of the 2022 Media Viability and Investment Conference, and now stands as a landmark effort to empower truth-telling in a media landscape often constrained by limited resources.
