African Union Media Fellowship Programme
African storytellers utilise various media to inform, educate and empower citizens; bridge knowledge gaps, and drive positive change. They facilitate information flow, public dialogue, and active participation, fostering a more democratic, inclusive, and empowered Africa. To ensure Africa is at the forefront of defining and telling its own narrative both on the continent and globally the Information and Communication Directorate (ICD) of the African Union (AU) launched the African Union Media Fellowship as a transformative platform designed to reshape how Africa is portrayed, providing a more accurate and nuanced representation of the continent’s progress, potential, and diversity.
The Fellowship is especially important in light of research which found that one-third of all news about Africa is sourced from non-African outlets; 63% of African media houses lack correspondents in other African countries and 81% of media coverage focuses on conflict and crises, often eclipsing reportage and other content on trade, investment, innovation, culture, entrepreneurship, and everyday triumphs. (Source: Africa No Filter)
In this context, the AU Media Fellowship aims to equip African media practitioners and content creators with the tools and training anchored on digital technologies needed to reclaim and redefine the African narrative. The incorporation of new and emerging digital technologies within the AU Media Fellowship as key enabler to telling Africa’s stories aligns with the various AU frameworks including the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa, the Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the African Digital Compact and by providing a platform to amplify local voices and tell in-depth stories from the ground up, the AU Media Fellowship directly contributes to the goals of Agenda 2063 shifting perceptions, promoting Pan African unity, enabling inclusive, citizen-driven communication for sustainable development and promoting Africa’s voice in the global arena.
