Veteran Nigerian journalist and Executive Director of the Media Career Development Network, Lekan Otufodunrin, has been elected President of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) Regional Association in Africa.
Otufodunrin emerged at the association’s recent virtual General Assembly and will lead the Africa Regional Executive Committee (REC) for a four-year term.
He is a journalist with more than four decades of experience and currently serves as president of Journalists for Christ International Outreach (JFC), Nigeria.
Amie Joof-Cole of the Inter-African Network for Women, Media, Gender and Development (FAMEDEV), Senegal, was elected Vice-President.
Other members of the new regional executive are Blessing Oladunjoye of the BO Foundation for Inclusive Media, Nigeria, who was elected Secretary; Mwendwa Kivuva, Trustee of the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), Kenya, who will serve as Treasurer; and George Stewart, a media development specialist from Liberia, and Opeyemi Lawal, a Nigerian journalist, who were elected alternate executive members.
The association said Otufodunrin and Joof-Cole were also nominated to serve as board members of WACC UK.
Accepting his election, Otufodunrin pledged that the new executive would advance programmes around WACC’s priorities, particularly digital, gender and climate justice across Africa.
“I became a member in 1998 and through the years, the organisation has immensely enhanced my media practice and expanded my network with opportunities to participate in various programmes and invaluable resources,” he said.
Otufodunrin said he had been inspired by the late Dr Christopher Kolade, former Director of the Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation and Nigeria’s former Ambassador to the United Kingdom, who previously served as International President of WACC.
He said his new role would provide an opportunity to contribute to the advancement of the organisation’s mission in Africa and beyond.
“I’m looking forward to working with the new executive to advance the mission of WACC in the continent and beyond in core areas of Digital, Gender and Climate Justice and more,” he said.
Sarah Macharia, WACC’s global staff liaison for the Africa region, commended the outgoing REC, led by WACC Director Matomklawè Kpalla, for its accomplishments.
Macharia also urged the newly elected regional leadership to build on those achievements and further strengthen WACC’s presence and impact across the continent.
Otufodunrin’s election adds another leadership responsibility to a journalism career spanning more than 40 years, with his professional work also focused on media development and capacity building.
