Africa: Convening Stakeholders to Re-Engineer Media in Africa

AllAfrica Media Leaders Summit
AllAfrica Media Leaders Summit 2023 - Re-engineering African Media in Times of Critical Transformation
2 August 2023
allAfrica.com
By Amadou Mahtar Ba

Dakar — In response to pressing appeals from many media practitioners and stakeholders across Africa who believe a free, independent, professional and thriving media industry is essential to the continent's future, AllAfrica Global Media has agreed to launch a new convening platform: the AllAfrica Media Leaders' Summit (AMLS).

As with journalism institutions elsewhere in the world, African print and broadcast media have witnessed major changes to their industry. They need to collectively address the challenges they face.

The inaugural AllAfrica Media Leaders' Summit will be held October 24-26 in Nairobi, with the support of the government of Kenya.

This new convening emerges from a history of bringing media partners together. On November 4th, 2008 – the same day the world witnessed the election of Barack Obama as the first African American president of the United States of America, AllAfrica Global Media was making its own history, three thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean, in Dakar, Senegal. With financial support from the World Bank Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ecobank, and Coca-Cola, we had the immense privilege of gathering fifty of Africa's most influential media leaders to launch what would become known as the African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF).

Among those who attended the 2008 gathering were Linus Gitahi, CEO of the Nation Media Group in Kenya; Nduka Obaigbena; founder and chair of Nigeria-based THISDAY Newspaper;  Maria Kivanuka, founder of Radio One in Uganda; John Allen, managing director of AllAfrica; Dr Tendai Mhizha, global strategist and AllAfrica Senior Advisor; Arlindo Lopes, president of the Southern African Broadcasting Association (SABA); Boureima Sigue, founder of Le Pays in Burkina Faso; Juliana Rakotoarivelo, managing director of Midi Maoga Sinana in Madagascar;  Kwasi Tum, CEO of Multimedia Group in Ghana and Ramanou Kouferidji, CEO of Imanle Africa Television.

Following the November 2008 inaugural edition, AllAfrica's board of directors agreed to transfer management of AMLF to the African Media Initiative (AMI), an endeavor being established to help improve the continental media landscape.

AMLF was held successfully from 2008 to 2015, bringing together media stakeholders including influential journalists, senior editors, civil society organizations, academics, business leaders as well as heads of state and leaders of Africa's most prestigious institutions, such as the African Union, the African Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. What began with fifty attendees grew to more than 500 participants. Unfortunately, for many reasons AMLF has not been held for the past eight years now.

The inaugural gathering of AMLS will be held in October this year in Nairobi, with the support of the government of Kenya, under the theme "Re-engineering African Media in Times of Critical Transformation".

Why the need for a pan-African media leaders gathering? And why now?

The adoption of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is seen by many as a game changer, with immense potential to usher in an era of development and prosperity. In the media industry, increased digitization, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), widespread misinformation and disinformation campaigns, as well as the use of deep fakes, have created a new reality full of opportunities – but at the same time, threaten to exacerbate civil unrest and conflicts. In this context, a new annual convening of Africa's media leaders can play a critical role in addressing critical issues that concern everyone.

Re-engineering African Media in Times of Critical Transformation

1. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): The implementation of the AfCFTA presents opportunities for media professionals to explore cross-border collaborations, content sharing, and talent exchange. Media leaders need to understand how the AfCFTA could facilitate the growth of the African media industry, foster cultural exchange, and promote the African narrative globally.

2.  Local Content Creation: With the AfCFTA, there is a need to enhance the production and distribution of local African content. Media leaders must develop strategies to support and amplify local voices, stories, and creative industries within the continent, nurturing a thriving African media ecosystem, including in such areas as peace-building, women's empowerment and equitable access to health services.

3.  Skills Development and Training: The evolving media landscape requires continuous skills development and training. Media leaders must devote resources to capacity-building initiatives, mentorship programs, and knowledge-sharing platforms to equip African media professionals with the necessary skills to thrive in difficult times.

4. Digitization: The rapid digitization of the media industry has transformed content creation, distribution, and consumption. Media leaders need to discuss methodologies for adopting digital platforms, leveraging social media, and exploring innovative digital storytelling techniques to engage with audiences effectively.

5. Introduction of AI: The integration of AI into the media industry has revolutionized such tools and services as content creation, personalized recommendations, and audience analytics. Media leaders need to probe the ethical implications, opportunities, and challenges of AI adoption, ensuring responsible and unbiased use of the technologies.

6. Misinformation and Disinformation: The proliferation of misinformation and disinformation poses a significant challenge to media credibility and public trust. Media leaders must collaborate on fact-checking initiatives, promote media literacy programs, and develop strategies to combat the spread of false information, safeguarding the integrity of journalism and its role in society.

7. Deepfakes: The rise of deepfake technology, which allows the creation of highly convincing fake videos and audio, raises concerns about the authenticity of media content. Media leaders need to discuss detection techniques, ethical guidelines, and policy frameworks to address the potential misuse of deepfakes and maintain public trust.

An annual gathering of African media leaders, joined by other media stakeholders including heads of state and leaders of continental institutions, academics, civil society, private sector champions is more important today than ever before.

Amadou Mahtar Ba is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of AllAfrica Global Media, the owner and operator of the largest distributor of African news and information worldwide.

More information on AMLS 2023

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