About Us

About WADR

The West Africa Democracy Radio (WADR) is a trans-territorial, sub-regional radio station based in Dakar, Senegal. WADR was established in 2005 as a project of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) to among other things protect and defend the ideals of democratic and open societies by disseminating development information through a network of community radios in the West African sub-region.

The mission of WADR is the promotion and defence of the ideals of democracy, openness, mutual understanding and respect between individuals and between communities. This regional radio entity also seeks to promote peace and human security, transparency and the duty to report on governance, regional economic integration, as well as social and cultural development amongst and between the peoples of the West African region. Through its programs, the WADR seeks to provide a forum for diverse opinions to create understanding among people and between people and their governments.

Vision

WADR will be the communication resource for inclusive democracy and change in Africa.

Mission

WADR will excel in informed conversations on equitable societal transformations from the diverse perspectives of African peoples especially the underrepresented.

WADR is presently broadcasting in English and French on-air on 94.9 FM

WADR is presently broadcasting in English and French on-air on 94.9 fm, online on www.wadr.org, through mobile applications – Google Play and through our radio networks in the different countries in the region. Portuguese will be integrated progressively, as the intention has always been to build partnerships in Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde with journalists as well as correspondents and radio stations.

In addition to these ECOWAS languages, WADR programmes are also translated/reproduced into local languages by community radios and re-broadcast most especially with funded projects thus meeting its goal of informing the grass-roots on the public policies that are implemented in their name as well as their rights and responsibilities as citizens of ECOWAS through a multilingual approach.

2 Languages

13 Countries

100+ Partner Radio Stations

Network of partner radio stations

At the community level different partner radios also produce and rebroadcast content from the national and regional levels to their communities. WADR has a total of over One Hundred Partner Radios in Capital cities and regions in the following countries, Benin, Burkina -Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, The Gambia, Liberia,Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

What do we do?

NEWS – Newslink/Info Chez Vous

WADR broadcasts News in English and French on a daily basis. The radio currently broadcast 3 News editions in English – (7.00am , 12.00 18. 00 and 22h00hrs GMT). The French desk also broadcasts a total of 3 major News editions with hourly updates (8.00am, 13.00, 17.00 and 21.00GMT)

(PROGRAMMES)

Health (Welbodi/Capitale Santé),

Youth (Take the Lead/Jeuness Active),

Gender – (fifty fifty),

Environment – ClimateChange/Natural Resources/Agriculture- (Planetaire/Enviroscope)

Current affairs: (Actu de la semaine/Weekly Top News)

Sports – (Tout Terrain, Sports Talk)

Lets Talk Migration – Special Focus on Irregular Migration

Security Sector Governance and Countering Radicalism (In the Sahel/ Dans le Sahel) – This covers the Sahel countries of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria

Voices for of children for Peace in the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger)