African perspectives

Independent, fact-based journalism is becoming increasingly important as a way of giving people access to information and debates that concern society as a whole. While digital media simplify and accelerate the flow of information, and reach an ever-expanding audience, they also allow disinformation to spread at lightning speed. For governments, societies, private companies and citizens, the rapid pace of digitalisation in Africa offers opportunities, but also poses challenges in this respect.

How can more people be encouraged to engage actively with African development debates on the basis of sound information? The African Union (AU) Commission is striding out along new paths in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The AU Media Fellowship was launched in early 2022.

The pilot project focuses on the interface between digital innovation and citizen participation. It is aimed at traditional journalists and content creators who publish their material on social media and online platforms. The response was overwhelming, with 800 people applying for the Fellowship in April 2022.

When selecting Fellows, the initiators were keen to ensure balanced representation. The 15 successful applicants, nine of them women, come from 12 African states, and the six main AU working languages are represented. They work for well-known African and international media outlets, have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, and are media professionals with innovative ideas from and for Africa. What does the Fellowship offer them?

Inspiration from research work in Africa and Germany

Study trips took the Fellows to Bonn and Berlin, as well as to Addis Ababa, Johannesburg and Cape Town. They were effective ambassadors of (pan)African views at the Global Media Forum in Bonn, Europe’s largest media conference. In Berlin they engaged in discussions with a number of parliamentarians from the German Bundestag, with topics including the work of the parliamentary Committee on Cultural and Media Affairs. In the WELT newsroom, Fellows experienced firsthand the work of Europe’s biggest publishing network.

In Addis Ababa, home to the AU Commission, they talked to the Director General and the Deputy Chairperson about the specific strategies in place to achieve African development goals. And a visit to Midrand, Johannesburg gave them exclusive insights into the Pan-African Parliament and current debates.

Alongside theoretical discussions and practical expertise in the field of mobile journalism, the AU Media Fellowship offers a platform for Fellows to cooperate across national borders and shape new pan-African narratives. All too often reporting on Africa is still external and cliché-ridden, rather than reporting by Africans on Africa. The AU Media Fellows are working to change this. They are currently focusing on their final stories, which address issues including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), political stability and digitalisation.