The Broadcasting Board of Governors and Télédiffusion de Mauritanie announced this week that they will collaborate in efforts to improve Mauritania’s media infrastructure, through FM broadcasting, journalism training and technical assistance.
In an agreement signed on June 6, the BBG gained two FM frequencies in the Mauritania’s capital city, Nouakchott, where Radio Sawa broadcasts should begin soon. Radio Sawa has an estimated weekly reach of 15 million adults in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the BBG.
Radio Sawa General Manager William Sabatini said in a released statement that, particularly among Mauritanian students and young professionals, “there is a need for accurate and objective news, as well as information about health, education, culture and interactive elements that are currently not available in the marketplace.”
While in Nouakchott on this particular visit, Sabatini and BBG Director of Strategy and Development Bruce Sherman met with the Mauritanian Minister of Communication and Relations with Parliament Mohamen Yahya Ould Hormah and U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania Jo Ellen Powell.
