By alusinerehme.wilson@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – Delegates at the 2024 Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) Annual General Meeting have unanimously renewed the mandates of Zainab Iyamide Joaque, veteran journalist Daniel Moseray, and Emmanuel Yereh Samura as the association’s Chief Electoral Commissioner (CEC) and commissioners for the Western Area and Northern Region, respectively.
The renewal took place on Saturday at the Njala Avenue Multipurpose Hall in Bo, Southern Sierra Leone, acknowledging the successful tenure of these leaders on the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Electoral Commission (SLAJEC).
Over the past three years, SLAJEC, under the guidance of Chief Electoral Commissioner Joaque and her fellow commissioners, has conducted peaceful, free, and fair elections for SLAJ and its affiliates, including the Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone (SWASAL), Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL), and the Sierra Leone Reporters Union (SLRU).
The renewal of Joaque’s mandate is particularly significant, reflecting SLAJ members’ commitment to recognizing excellence and advancing the principles outlined in the Sierra Leone Association Media Gender-Equality Policy, which was launched on September 13, 2023.
Joaque, who serves as the Deputy News Editor at Awoko Newspaper, has a longstanding association with SLAJEC, having joined the commission in 2017. In 2021, she made history as the first female electoral commissioner of SLAJ, succeeding her predecessor James Tamba Lebbie.
In their second term, Joaque, alongside Moseray from the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) and Samura, the former SWASAL Secretary General, welcomed two new commissioners—Hassan Nelson Barrie and another representative—who will serve the Eastern and Southern Regions, respectively. This change follows the conclusion of the terms of former commissioners Martha Kargbo and Nfa Alie Koroma.
The SLAJEC commissioners are responsible for announcing election and campaign dates, receiving nominations, examining petitions, and conducting elections for SLAJ and its affiliates. Their renewed mandates will last for three years, concluding in 2026. ARW/2/10/2024
