By Prince Dankwa
President of The Africa Editors’ Forum (TAEF), delivered a powerful address at the opening of the Digital Media Africa Conference 2024, co-hosted by WAN-IFRA, the Aga Khan University, and the Eastern Africa Editors Society.
Held in Nairobi, the event brought together media professionals, policymakers, and industry leaders to discuss the critical challenges facing journalism across the continent.
Otieno underlined in his remarks how critical it is for African media to innovate and adapt in the face of business changes never seen before. In addition to supporting press freedom, he called on stakeholders and regulators to change how they approach media regulation in order to address the financial difficulties faced by media companies.
“It’s not enough to protect the freedom of the press,” Otieno said. “We must ensure the sustainability of the press. Advertising alone can no longer sustain our industry. Media businesses are struggling to stay afloat, and this is not just an industry issue—it’s a societal one.”
Otieno made a daring suggestion for putting money that was obtained through anti-corruption initiatives back into media companies. He mentioned that Ksh5.5 billion ($43 million) in corrupt assets were recently recovered from Kenya, and he suggested that these funds may be utilized to support investigative journalism. Otieno stated, “Corruption thrives where there is opacity and where journalists are silenced,” and he made the case that strengthening democratic governance and promoting openness will result from media investment.
The necessity of safeguarding the intellectual property of African media was one of his other main points. Otieno brought up the fact that technological platforms frequently use African journalists’ work for their own benefit without paying them fairly, a problem that TAEF is trying to solve through collective bargaining. Additionally, he outlined the Africa Data Alliance’s initiatives to improve reporting and better serve audiences by utilizing data collected around the continent.
In an ever-changing media ecosystem, Otieno urged African news firms to make research and development (R&D) investments in order to stay relevant. Innovation, he emphasized, is essential to recognizing consumers’ shifting preferences and coming up with fresh approaches to interact with them.
“We risk becoming irrelevant if we don’t invest in understanding our audiences and adapting to how they consume information,” Otieno warned. “Without R&D, we will fall behind in a world where competition for attention is fierce.”
Over the course of the following two days, media professionals and experts will continue to discuss solutions to the serious concerns brought up in Otieno’s talk at the Digital Media Africa Conference 2024. It is anticipated that the occasion would spark fresh approaches and partnerships meant to fortify African media and guarantee its sustainability in the long run.
