A state-of the art radio station has been dedicated in Kakata, Margibi County by Voice of Liberia.

The station which operates on FM 89.7 brings to two the number of stations operated by Voice of Liberia in Liberia.

Voice of Liberia is an independent public service broadcaster, established by Liberian journalist Sekou Sheriff. The institution currently has correspondents across the ECOWAS sub-region, including Tanzania, Malawi, Cameroon, and Lesotho among others.

The goal of the station is to bring together media professionals working towards upholding the ethics of professional journalism in creating a vibrant democracy through the coverage of major issues of interest to Liberia and its neighbor as a whole.

Speaking during the dedication ceremony Saturday, former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs—Nathaniel McGill, now a senatorial candidate in Margibi described the facility as a state-of-the art station.

Both Voice of Liberia 104.1 in Monrovia and Voice of Liberia 89.7 in Kakata, Margibi County will broadcast content to several parts of Liberia including Gbarpolu, Bong, River Cess, Bomi, Cape Mount, Grand Bassa among other counties.

He called on the media, especially journalists, to use their platforms to propagate messages of peace and reconciliation.

McGill asserted that it is about time the media play a critical role in ensuring the conduct of the October 10 presidential and legislative elections are conducted under a peaceful atmosphere.

“We want to thank the government for providing the free space for the media to operate and we say thank you Mr. Sheriff for bringing this station to Margibi,” he said in a rather short statement.

In a brief interview on the radio, McGill appealed to the media not to allow politicians to manipulate the airways through misinformation and fake news.

According to him, Liberians should reflect on the dark days of the country’s history, think about the future and forge together for the common good of the nation.

Meanwhile, he commanded Voice of Liberia CEO for providing jobs for citizens through the establishment of the station.

For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Voice of Liberia—Sekou Sheriff noted the dedication of the station marked the beginning of providing balanced information to Liberians.

Sekou said his dream is to extend the Voice of Liberia brand across the country, stressing that another branch will soon be dedicated in central Liberia Gbarnga Bong County.

“We want to assure the public that this station is here to stay and we will have branches across the country,” he said in brief remarks.

At the same time, community members have welcomed the station, challenging the management to go beyond the regular community radio style of broadcast and ensure a positive impact of the station is felt in the region.

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