SARAJEVO, APRIL 12 (ONASA) – The independent news agency ONASA will mark today the 29th anniversary of its existence and successful work today.
Agency ONASA was founded in 1994 in Sarajevo and today represents a respectable medium in BiH and the region. Our mission is a continuous contribution to the development of true, independent and professional information in advanced, European-oriented, multi-ethnic and multicultural BiH, with the aim of continuous expansion of the network and beyond BiH.
ONASA Agency has a clearly defined strategy, goals, mission and vision (www.onasa.ba).
Its founder, former director general, and editor-in-chief was Mehmed Memica Husić, a graduate journalist and doyen of BiH journalism, the winner of a special award in the 2004 “Selection of BiH’s Best Managers” campaign. After his sudden death, on February 18, 2006, the function of the Gneral Director of the ONASA Agency was taken over by the then Executive Director Elvira Begović, a graduate in economics, specialist in management and information technology.
The Presidency of BiH appointed Elvira Begović, Deputy General Director of the ONASA Agency, in 2001 as the Ambassador of BiH to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and in 2003 as the Non-Resident Ambassador of BiH to Ireland.
Director Begović won a special award in the action “Selection of the best managers of BiH” in 2007 for the achieved results in the field of information, and for exceptional leadeship of the ONASA Agency, organized by the European Association of Managers and the Directorate for Selection of Managers of BiH and Southeast and Central Europe. She was awarded a special recognition for media sponsorship and overall contribution to the project “Selection of the most successful business people and companies in 2016″.
The European Association of Managers – Directorate for the Selection of Managers of BiH, Southeast and Central Europe, based on Article 7 of the Rulebook on the Selection of Managers and Companies, awarded ONASA Agency and Director Elvira Begović on April 3, 2018, a Golden Plaque for great and a long-term contribution to the Project. Selection of the most successful business people and companies”.
ONASA agency has gained a reputation as a reliable source of information in the BiH media market and beyond, and has become a respected and recognizable name, as well as a valuable and modern documentation center, which is at the service of all our clients.
Our competitive advantages are the quality of information, objectivity and professionalism, operations throughout BiH, broadcasting news throughout the day and year, highly educated professional staff, teamwork and modern equipment.
Initially,the ONASA Agency broadcast two blocks of news daily as part of the GENERAL SERVICE, in the languages of the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina and in English, and in 1996 it started broadcasting ECONOMIC/BUSINESS and ELECTION SERVICE, which in February 2001 grew into a specialized service on non-governmental activities organizations (NGOs) and civil society, and political parties.
ONASA news in the languages of the people in BiH and in English is used by the media in BiH, the region and the world, a large number of government, entity and local institutions, public institutions, embassies and consulates, as well as managers of successful companies, marketing agencies, banks, political parties and non-governmental organizations.
All news of the Agency are translated into English, and used by international organizations and institutions, embassies, diplomatic and consular missions, business missions and world news agencies.
The ONASA agency has a very rich production of news and broadcasts about 200 news daily.
ONASA exchange news with reputable world news agencies and agencies from the region.
In addition, at the request of clients, the ONASA Agency has been providing MONITORING and ADVERTISING services on the WEBSITE for years as well as the OTS PUBLICATION OF ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.
For seventeen years we have been broadcasting a specialized service of PUBLIC OFFERS AND TENDER published in the official gazettes and daily press in BiH, the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbia, and wehave been successfully organize press conferences for our clients.
The seat of the ONASA Agency has been in the Holiday Inn Sarajevo Hotel in Sarajevo since 2001, and since 2015 the seat of the ONASA Agency is in the Municipality of Centar at the address Hamdije Kreševljakovića 12/I, in Sarajevo.
ONASA has correspondents in all parts of BiH, the Federation and the Republika Srpska.
Since its establishment in 1994, the Agency has not stopped working for a single day, both during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and on December 19, 1998, when its business premises and almost all equipment burned down in a fire.
The board of the ONASA Agency established the award “Journalist of the Year”, “Editor of the Year” and “Correspondent of the Year”, which is traditionally awarded in January of each year based on defined criteria.
In recent years, the ONASA Agency has invested a lot in improving the quality of its services with the aim of better and faster distribution of news and meeting the needs of its clients.
The agency ONASA has connected an internet connection with a speed of 3/3 Mb/s via an optical connection. Speed 3/3 Mb/s is a business package of guaranteed internet, which accelerates the broadcasting of news to clients and the loading of ONASA’s website.
The VIP interview project continues to be implemented, in which the Agency was visited by numerous guests whose interviews, published by ONASA, had a great impact on the public, and all VIP interviews with photos are permanently stored and available to the public on the website of the ONASA Agency in OFFICIAL VISITS section.
The ONASA agency has been a SUPERBRANDS partner since 2010.
ONASA is also the general media sponsor of the “Southeast and Central Europe Manager” and the media sponsor of the “Sarajevo Business Forum” and “Branding Conference”, the Traditional Sevdalinka Festival in Tuzla 2018, and the Annual Assembly of the Board of Governors of EBRD AM 2019, the Business Forum EBRD in 2019, as well as the International Book and Study Fair in 2023.
As part of the DVD edition “Resources and Chances of BiH”, a video presentation on the work of the Agency was made, which is available on its website and on You Tube.
ONASA has been a member of the Southeast Europien Media Organization (SEEMO) based in Vienna since 2002, while since December 22, 2006 it has been a full member of the Association of Private News Agencies (APNA) of Southeastern Europe, based in Skopje.
In 2011, the International League of Humanists (ILH) presented the Independent News Agency ONASA with the Decision on Nomination for the Golden Plaque for objective, true and timely information to the public, and the Director of the Independent News Agency ONASA Elvira Begović the Decision on the Nomination for the Golden Charter for Humane and Ethical Human Management resources and information.
Based on the final financial indicators and ONASA Ltd. fulfilled the set criteria and was ranked among the best 100 companies in BiH, and it is 4th by activity in BiH in the selection of Poslovnih novinara for 2022.
In recent years, the ONASA Agency has received numerous letters of thanks from various institutions, organizations and associations for professional information of the public.
ONASA agency has also been a media partner of numerous important events, manifestations, conferences, gatherings and other projects important for the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the past period.
Two years ago, we launched a new website (www.onasa.ba) in line with modern trends in information technology development.
On the occasion of the 29th birthday, the management and employees of the ONASA Agency thank all esteemed clients of the Agency for their trust, especially those who have placed their trust in us for 29 years.
We express our hope and readines to continue to provide truthful, professional and responsible information to the public for the benefit of all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This anniversary is a significant date in the history of BiH independent agency journalism.