Over 200 media practitioners, including editors, media house owners and politicians are in Kigali to deliberate on the way forward for African media.

Co-hosted by the Rwanda Editors' Guild and the Eastern Africa Editors' Forum, the two-day biannual African Editors Forum is focused on the defense and promotion of media freedom and independence in Africa.

Local Government Minister James Musoni opened the conference today with a call for the continent's media to grow from the shadows of foreign media.

"The media in Africa continues to be bogged down by a number of challenges, including internal weaknesses and limited investment. But the biggest problem African media face now is the powerful foreign media that overshadows our own and sets the tone for the agenda on African issues. We need African media to transform and tell our own story from our own perspective," Musoni said.

"Rwanda is hosting the African Editors Forum for the first time, and this offers a great opportunity for the government, private sector and civil society to sit together and agree on strategies to advance media in our country."