Int'l Women's Day: Benin pays tribute to female media workers

Cotonou- Benin (PANA) -- On the occasion of the celebration of the 15th Internati onal Women's Day, observed worldwide Monday, the Union of media workers in Benin (SYNAPROMEB) seized the occasion to pay tribute to Beninese female media workers for their contributions to the revival of the press in their country.
In a press statement, the SYNAPROMEB expressed its joy in having many top women in the journalism profession in the country, saying that women media workers, in c luding editors, and presenters, had demonstrated their love for the profession a n d their capacities to perform better.
Formerly found in a few top positions at the Beninese National Radio and Televis ion station (ORTB), there is hardly any Beninese medium these days where there i s no female journalist since the advent of private media in the country.
Although they are still victims of marginalization, female media workers in Beni n are increasingly establishing themselves.
The Beninese Press Agency (ABP) was the first in 1994 to employ eight women.
The Union said, however, that no woman is serving on the media regulation body i n Benin, and the High Authority for Broadcasting and Communication (HAAC).
It said only two women were the chief executives of two dailies in the country - - Reine Azifan for the state-owned daily "La Nation", and Sylvia d'Almeida, for t he privately-owned daily Le "Nokouأ©".
The same number of women also run two of the five privately-owned Tel evision stations in Benin.
Women also run some print media organisations, publications previously seen as t he exclusive preserve for male media workers.