The “Réseau d’Initiatives de Journalistes” (RIJ) was founded by a group of committed journalists who aim to offer journalists from Burkina Faso and other countries an open frame for training courses, workshops and field trips in order to research information for highly qualified reports, radio broadcasts and documentaries.

This independent and apolitical network creates a base of exchange for journalists from different backgrounds such as radio, TV, press and internet. Permanent employees as well as freelancers are invited to share their experiences and thus encourage new ideas, change and improvement to journalism.

The members of the RIJ are united by the strong desire to broaden their professional knowledge, share their skills, and thereby introduce new attitudes and dynamics in the exercise of their profession.

To achieve this goal, various activities are organised : training courses improve the general and specialized skills of the participants ; in the course of different forums for discussions members can discuss various requests and concerns. Field trips in the different regions of the country allow the possibility to research topics on the ground and thus improving the news coverage of the media. Study trips in the neighbour countries offer the opportunity to learn about the diaspora, create ties of association and friendship between the journalists of the different countries and thus broaden their horizon.