Monrovia – The newly inducted President of the Sports Writers Association of Liberia (SWAL), Varmah Kamara, has named four strategic pillars that will govern his administration for the next three years. In his inaugural address on Friday, March 1, 2024, at the Monrovia City Hall, Kamara promised to strengthen the capacity of members of the organization through quarterly training.
“We all can attest that the lack of formal training is a serious challenge, especially for entry-level reporters. It is in this vein that we have developed a strategy that will ensure we have a quarterly training program,” Kamara said.
He also intends to make SWAL financially viable by forming partnership deals with local and international institutions. This pillar, President Kamara said, is dear to his heart, noting he will break the ‘walls’ to ensure SWAL becomes financially independent.
“This pillar is very dear to our hearts because in the absence of financial independence, it is impossible to be a vibrant institution as we all envisage SWAL,” Kamara pointed out. “We want to ensure that we engage partners both local and international, private and public, including the sports governing body, to support SWAL.”
“For example, how can we be the sole promoter of football and not benefit anything from the over half-quarter of a million United States dollars sponsorship deal between the FA and Orange Liberia? Therefore, we are looking forward to exploring that avenue to ensure that SWAL becomes vibrant to provide quality reporting that will attract fans to the games,” he noted.
The SWAL President also pledged to enhance professionalism and independence, something he said has been a huge challenge. Kamara also vowed to ensure that all SWAL members are reunited following a heated election that brought him to power. He added that if sports must develop in Liberia, SWAL must take a definite posture that will hold stakeholders and federations in the sector accountable. According to him, SWAL must be that critical voice highlighting and reporting on the ills affecting the sector to ensure improved growth and development without fear or favor.
The SWAL also noted that sporting federations, including the football association, have continuously created bottlenecks for sports journalists to discharge their duties. Making specific reference to the LFA, Kamara noted that the local football house has failed in its responsibilities to strengthen its relationship with SWAL as a partner but is only bent on censorship and creating division among sports journalists. He lamented that efforts by the outgoing leadership to sign the Memorandum of Understanding between SWAL and LFA, to strengthen the bonds, have not been utilized under the Mustapha Raji administration.
The SWAL President used the occasion to call on the leadership of the LFA to open its activities to all sports journalists. Frontpage Africa Sports Editor Christopher Walker was inducted as Vice President, Punch FM’s Edwin T.K. Dolo as Secretary-General, Naomi Y. Tappia of Truth FM as Financial Secretary. Jerome Willie of Margibi County and Yusuf Sheriff were inducted as Assistant Secretary and Chaplain respectively.
Several stakeholders, including Liberia Minister of Information Jerolinmek Piah, Deputy Sports Minister-designate Andy Quamie, LFA First and Third Vice Presidents Sekou Konneh and Jedi Seton-Redd, and Press Union of Liberia officials, among others, were present.