Sharjah officials raise voice on strengening media

H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi emphasizes on Sharjah's media presence and introduces Sharjah Media Centre's strategy and initiatives

Officials from Sharjah reiterated the importance of the media and stressed on the need to exert continuous efforts for the progression of the media and communication industry in the emirate Sharjah and the United Arab Emirates as a whole. This came during a press conference held by Sharjah Media Centre at the Media and Marketing Show (MMS), Dubai in December 4.

The officials who participated in the session were His Excellency (H.E.) Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Centre; H.E. Osama Samra, Director of Sharjah Media Centre; H.E. Ahmed Salem Bosamnoh, Board Member of Sharjah Media Corporation; H.E. Mohamed Khalaf, Director of Sharjah Radio; and Hassan Yaqoub, renowned media professional from Sharjah who was the moderator of the conference.

The most important topics discussed during the conference were the overall media strategy and development of media in the emirate including the implementation of the Government Communication Unit (GCU). Further topics included Sharjah Radio and the establishment of a new TV channel.

H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed highlighted different important government initiatives as the Sharjah Government Communication Forum and Sharjah Government Communication Award, that help to elevate the emirate of Sharjah within the UAE and the international arena of the media and communication industry.

HE welcomed the attendees of the seminar and spoke of the 41st National Day celebrations: While celebrating with joy and commemorating 41 years of the of our beloved United Arab Emirates, we feel proud in this occasion as the nation with a history of achievements that have marked our presence in the Arab world.'

Regarding the media and communication strategy and future plans for the emirate with Sharjah Media Centre, H.E. said: The media strategy of Sharjah is based on the media goals of the United Arab Emirates, and we seek to consolidate our national identity, exchange our knowledge and information in the upcoming years within an intellectual and cultural agenda. Our media strategy aspires to lead constructive and purposeful communication, which aims to deliver messages of the various developments on the local, regional and international landscapes.'

H.E. also pointed out: The reorganization of the centre will also contribute to influence the perception of the media in the emirate positively and will create an excellent system to connect to various government departments and official institutions in Sharjah.

With our programs we work on various projects, where we aim to achieve integration between government communication departments in the various institutions of the Emirate of Sharjah and the local and Arabic media. We engage in a meaningful dialogue, based on listening to government agencies and stakeholders to achieve frequent communication.'

Furthermore, he highlighted: With Sharjah Media Centre, we are working on mobilizing to implement the directives of His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah to promote the emirate in the local, regional and international media, while adhering to the policy of information dissemination and keeping pace with the world.'

H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi ended his speech by mentioning different future plans by Sharjah Media Centre: The Emirate of Sharjah has ambitious plans and objectives for serving and enhancing the media field in the emirate. We're working with all our efforts to achieve our goals in the near future.'

H.E. Osama Samra introduced one of the units of Sharjah Media Centre, the Government Communication Unit as an important instrument primary to unify the government's messages, to elevate Sharjah's presence in the media and enhance communication between government entities and their public.

As part of the effort of Sharjah Government to open and sustain genuine channels of communication with the public, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, gave directions for the establishment of a Government Communication Unit that will mainly be responsible for unifying the government's messages and coordinating our government's activities.'

Furthermore, he stressed on the great efforts, that The Unit follows the footsteps of His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah by ensuring that the government is constantly listening to people's concerns and is always equipped with accurate and simple messages explaining its position on vital issues that affect people's lives. It is designed in a way that allows us to be the eyes and ears of the people.

Regarding the stages of the establishment of the Unit, he: We are in the first phase of completing the internal structure of the unit that falls under the responsibility of Sharjah Media Centre.'

The next phase will involve a comprehensive assessment of communication structures at the 49 Government entities in Sharjah. Following the assessment we will start working with them very closely on two levels: Capacity Level and Policy Level.'

H.E. Osama Samra ended his speech by saying: Ultimately, we in Sharjah feel that our communication efforts need to be in line with our accomplishments.'

Ahmed Salem Bosamnoh, Board Member of Sharjah Media Corporation stressed on indicators that promise the media a prosperous future and highlighted the infrastructure of Sharjah which forms a platform for media investments. Bosamnoh mentioned many historical events and the first print media, established in the Gulf region: The first newspaper in Sharjah was published in 1927, it is Oman newspaper which was manually transcribed, and was established by Ibrahim Mohamad Al-Madfa'a from

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