The African Media Initiative (AMI) aims to strengthen the media sector in Africa so that it can play its full role in promoting social development and economic growth and in empowering citizens to hold government and other institutions to account.
To this end, AMI aims to act as a catalyst for transformational change within the media sector, seeking to support media that is professional, financially sustainable, technologically adaptable, and socially responsible.
AMI’s work is focused on tangible progress towards five interconnected objectives. By honing in on these crucial but often overlooked aspects of media development, AMI will promote further dynamism in a sector that is already poised for major growth and innovation, and to encourage sustainable commitments to quality, ethics and public service. These 5 objectives are;
Improving the enabling environment by targeting the legal and policy environment for independent media and marshalling industry support for reform in media freedom and media economics
Strengthening media markets to increase investment and revenue for independent media by bolstering audience measurement and media monitoring capacity and devising new public and private mechanisms for financial support
Building leadership, management and professional capacity to enhance the quality, ethics and overall professionalism of media in Africa, with a specific focus on management and technical skills
Promoting technological adaptability and needed access to technological tools and skills among media enterprises in a rapidly changing environment
Providing intellectual leadership and practical development tools for the media and development communities through collective analysis and problem solving, supported by continuing industry research and proactive information sharing, including the convening of the annual African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF).
