Rabat – The US-based media company Voice of America (VOA) has named Moroccan journalist Salwa Jaafari as the new director of its Africa Division.
As well as VOA’s usual Africa coverage, the Moroccan journalist will oversee all activities regarding television, radio, and web content of the company’s Africa Division staff.
The division staff includes over 500 journalists in the US and across the world, VOA noted in a statement.
“We are delighted to welcome Salwa Jaafaro to the ranks of VOA senior management and are excited about the energy and focus on excellence she will bring to the Africa division leadership,” Acting VOA Director Yolanda Lopez said.
The Moroccan journalist has had a rich career in the field of journalism within VOA and beyond.
Prior to her latest promotion, Jaafari was the “executive producer for the VOA French-to-Africa news team, in charge of television programming to French-speaking Africa,” VOA said.
Before her debut in the US in 2011, the journalist also worked in different newsrooms in Morocco and “reported from around Africa and the Middle East.”
In addition to VOA, the journalist also worked for Agence France Presse (AFP) and Sky News Arabia.
Jaafari made her debut in journalism in 2001 with Reuters, where she worked part-time while completing her studies.
She later worked for Moroccan television channel 2M, where she produced “ten long-format investigative reports for the ‘Grand Angle’ program, according to her bio on VOA’s website.
In 2016, Jaafari won CNN’s “African Journalist of the Year” prize for an extensive reportage on illegal migration she did while working for 2M.
