| Fostering a stronger media in Africa is an indispensable part of tackling poverty, improving development and enabling Africa to attain its development goals. In this presentation, Dr. Gerry Power, Director of Research and Knowledge Management, and Julia Moffett, Director of Strategy, from the BBC World Service Trust, presented the research conducted by the Africa Media Development Initiative (AMDI). This research is the most extensive independent survey of the state of the media ever conducted across 17 sub-Saharan African countries. The event was sponsored by the Communication for Governance and Accountability Program (CommGAP) of the Development Communication Division, and chaired by Marco Mantovanelli, Manager for Africa External Affairs at the World Bank.
Power gave an overview of the AMDI and presented the state of the media in Africa today, its structural challenges, and future priorities. The study reveals a widespread consensus with respect to the media’s enormous potential to contribute significantly to development and governance in Africa. The research pointed to four main areas of focus for media development: media policy and legislation, media infrastructure and investment, professionalization, and supporting local content production. The research findings provide a unique set of insights showing how donors, investors, media and media development organizations can collaborate in supporting and strengthening Africa’s media sector.
Following the presentation, the audience had comments and questions on measuring the state control of the media, the role of donor engagement, and qualitative measures of media coverage.
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