An address by Amadou Mahtar Ba, Chief Executive Officer of the African Media Initiative and President of AllAfrica.com to the first Pan African Media Conference, 18-19 March 2010, Nairobi, Kenya:
It is truly an honor to welcome you in Nairobi and at the first Pan-african Media Conference. Your presence here demonstrates your commitment to democratic governance, social development, economic growth and human development on the African continent and your profound recognition of the critical role media play in Africa's progress.
In 2005, on the eve of the G-8 Summit in Gleneagles, the Africa Commission, otherwise known as the Blair Commission released its report "Our Common Interest." One of the overarching findings was the centrality of media in the development process of the continent. The G-8 adopted the recommendation that "…..independent media institutions, public service broadcasters, civil society and the private sector, with support from governments, should form a consortium of partners, in Africa and outside, to provide funds and expertise to create an African media facility".
Unlike most reports on Africa that languish as nothing more than words on a page, the best African and international expertise breathed life into this recommendation to place media at the center of Africa's progress. The result is the African Media Initiative (AMI).
Excellencies, his Highness, honorable guests, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to report today that in AMI, African media owners and practitioners have firmly and resolutely embarked on an unprecedented pan-African effort to create the tools they need to play an effective and constructive role in building strong democracies, economies and societies.
With AMI, the African media sector is poised to fulfill its role, THE LIVING EXAMPLE OF THE ROLE EXPRESSED BY President Barack Obama when he addressed the continent from the Ghanaian parliament in July 2009. He said:
"An independent press is part of the capable, reliable and transparent institutions that will lead Africa to success in the 21st century."
We know Africa can claim the 21st century if its children reflect on the past, to learn from it and be guided by today's realities with the firm desire to build a common vision on how to chart the course for a successful tomorrow.
The African media have to be at the vanguard of this process.
That is precisely why at the African Media Initiative we thought it was perfectly timely and natural to partner with the Nation Media Group to organize this first Pan African Media Conference. The time is right. Seventeen African countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their independence. In this partnership, you have one of the continent's oldest and most important media houses celebrating 50 years as an independent voice on Africa's triumphs and pitfalls and a new pan-African institution – created by Africans to contribute empowering our people.
This conference is about Africa. It is about reflecting candidly on the past—ITS SUCCESSES AND FAILURES, WHICH —IN RARE INSTANCES –RESULTED IN HELPING TRIGGER THE WORST OF HUMAN NATURE. WE WANT TO REFLECT ON THAT PAST IN ORDER TO AVOID THE SAME MISTAKES. BUT WE ALSO WANT TO EXAMINE THE PRESENT, TRUTHFULLY SHARING OUR EXPERIENCES IN CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT AS A WAY FORWARD TO A BRIGHTFUTURE. .
This conference is an opportunity for all Africans, not only media practitioners, but academics, politicians, business men and women, students, the elderly and all segments of this continent's 1 billion people to reflect on the state of the Mother Land and the role of African media NOW AND IN THE FUTURE..
LET ME HASTEN TO ASSURE YOU THAT MOST OF AFRICAN MEDIA WERE NOT AND ARE NOT THE ENEMY. African media MUST never be the enemy OF ITS PEOPLE. Indeed, WHILE AN INDEPENDENT VOICE, the African media, are NONETHELESS the friends of African progress, the partner of African success AND, ONE OF THE MAIN KEYS TO ENSURING A brilliant FUTURE FOR AFRICA AND HER PEOPLE.
To help African media achieve its part, the African Media Initiative aims to transform the media landscape by providing independent media houses with the necessary environment to make a greater contribution to Africa's development.
To this end, AMI and its partners support the development of a private media sector that is professionally proficient, financially sustainable, technologically adaptable, and socially responsible so that it can best serve the public interest. Through a holistic program of activity that combines strategic partnerships, advocacy and targeted pilot projects, AMI will work to bring about much needed legal, fiscal and economic policy reforms, increased access to financing, state of the art management and technology capacity building, and greater emphasis on leadership and ethics.
AMI is a catalyst for transformational change within the continent's media sector and is fast becoming a powerful advocate among key regional institutions, development partners, funders and civil society groups that recognize the critical role media play in governance and development across the continent.
Over a 10-year period, AMI will help create and support lasting African media institutions committed to the public interest and operating with the highest standards of ethics. Initially, OUR GOALS ARE:
Improving the economic enabling environment for independent media
Strengthening media markets to increase investment and revenue
Building leadership, management and professional capacity
Promoting technological adaptation
Providing intellectual leadership, research and information among the media and development communities
Media practitioners are also sons and daughters of Africa and are fully cognizant of the CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FACING THEM AS THEY STRIVE TO USE THEIR VOICES TO improve THE LIVES of their people. AMI will help to ensure that African media remain steady and unwavering partners in the quest for AN AFRICA WHERE ITS PEOPLE ARE EMPOWERED, ITS GOVERNMENTS ARE ACCOUNTABLE, AND ITS VAST RESOURCES ARE FINALLY USED TO ENSURE THAT NO AFRICAN MAN, WOMAN OR CHILD LIVES IN ignorance and POVERTY.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
As we celebrate and reflect today and tomorrow, I want to challenge African governments, African media and our development partners to commit to work together so that by May 3rd, 2011 – on the 20th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press – we can seal a New Partnership which fully recognizes the media as a central pillar for Africa's development.
In closing, on behalf of the African Media Initiative Board and its partners, I want to reiterate my appreciation to the government of the Republic of Kenya for its continued support. It is my hope that the Host Country Agreement - officially requested in November 2009 by the African media leaders at their second gathering in Lagos Nigeria - will be approved as soon as possible so that the AMI Secretariat can start functioning immediately and efficiently from Nairobi.
Together, we will ensure that African media remain the independent and honest voice of the African people as we declare our vision for a better tomorrow in which all of Africa's children have the same opportunities as children across the globe.
Welcome to first the Pan-African Media Conference in Nairobi! Karibuni Nairobi!
