Imaimatou Garba, conductor of "Voix des Femmes"

She highlights the importance of shining the spotlight on contributions from women to the socio-economic and cultural development of the country.

Can you tell us about your programme "Voix des femmes"?
"Voix des femmes" is a programme produced by Impact Com Media and funded by CFI as part of the MediaSahel for Women project. This type of gender-sensitive programme aims to encourage participation in public debate. It will be broadcast by 12 project partner radio stations. The team will regularly call on civil society organisations that work actively on gender issues as part of the production.

What will your role be in producing the programme?
As project manager, I am responsible for producing the programme. I contact the guests, set up recording meetings and am responsible for monitoring production, editing and sharing the programmes with each of the radio stations.
I already have various responsibilities within our company and now another task has been entrusted to me, though it is somewhat different from the one I was already performing. It will enable me to advance my career as a journalist and project manager, improve my skills and above all discover a new world. This will be the first time that I come into direct contact with community radio stations as I monitor the broadcasting of the programmes.
What's more, "Voix des femmes" is an opportunity, both for me and the other members of the team, to expand the areas in which we work. Impact Com Media is already active in the economic and entrepreneurial fields.

Like the MediaSahel for Women project in general, "Voix des femmes" is a programme based on equality between men and women. As a woman, how does this inspire you?
It is an opportunity for me to assess the contribution of women to socio-economic and cultural developments in our country. Women contribute a lot to development, but are not given enough opportunities to show what they can do. Through "Voix des femmes", I will highlight what women are doing, because they are very talented, but that talent remains hidden. My team and I will show that Nigerien women are productive not only politically, but also socio-economically and culturally.

Recently, your team received training in journalism geared towards equality between men and women. What added value did this training bring for the production team?
Thanks to this training, instigated by CFI, the whole production team is now able to cover these subjects. The production team is now able to give women, as well as men, the opportunity to speak. The team is determined to encourage women to give their opinions and stand up for their ideas and position, on both the radio and the television.