The Minister of Public Health, Malachie Manounda has recognised the role of radio in fighting the spread of COVID-19 in the nation.

The minister made the remark during the commemoration of World Radio Day on Saturday February 13 under the theme “New World New Radio.”

According to him, the medium has been instrumental in propagating COVID-19 preventive measures to Cameroonians.

“Thanks to radio, the message has reached millions of Cameroonians who now protect themselves from the coronavirus,” Malachie said.

Equally, the President of the National Communication Council, Peter Essoka asserts that radio has been playing a significant role in transmitting messages to Cameroonians across the national territory. These messages include COVID-19 preventive measures such as the wearing of face mask in public places, constant washing of hands with clean following water and maintenance of social distances.

He urged journalists to utilise the medium effectively.
“You have to be tenacious. You see, the life in the media has become so easy with technology and our young people ought to be more professional than we ever were, Don’t mess up your profession. Be patient. We are running much faster than we should” Peter Essoka said.

Commenting on the importance of radio, the Station Manager of Christian Broadcasting Service and president of the Cameroon Community Media Network, Geraldine Fobang said “if something is not said on radio, some people will not believe it, that is why when they see anything on social media, the next thing is to tune to the radio that people get credible and factual information,”

She furthered that journalists working for traditional media outlets such as radio should be conscious of what they send out and to always verify their facts.
The celebration of World Radio Day was instituted by UNESCO countries in 2011 and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012.

By Neville Mesumbe