Bamako 2002 Conference

Report on the Media Forum

Sunday, 26^th May 2002

A total of 50 participants drawn from African government and private media and other related international and regional organisations participated in the Bamako 2002 pre-conference Media Forum, which was held on 26^th May 2002 at the Palais de Congres.

The main objectives of the Forum were to discuss the role of the media in the development of the information society, to outline the challenges to the media of the globalisation and the knowledge economy, and to create network of journalists for promoting Africa’s digital opportunities.

Presentations were made by Mr. Lishan Adam of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on the information society with an overview on the African Information Society Initiative (AISI), and by Mr. Edward Markiewicz from Media Action International, Geneva, on how the media can benefit from the information society.

The presentations highlighted the increasing digital divide between Africa and the rest of the world compounded by ongoing socioeconomic problems, social injustice and the dynamics of global economic systems.  The opportunities, limitations, and challenges of the information society to Africa and efforts to address the challenges by different institutions to date were presented. The presentations also highlighted the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) which serves as a common position for the continent’s digital inclusion, and other efforts by development agencies to facilitate Africa’s participation in the information society.

The role of the media in serving as a platform for debate, a hub for public opinion and political decisions, promoting national and international ICT governance, and content quality have been stressed as critical. It was noted that the media lacks the necessary capacity to effectively utilise ICTs for its own activities.  Training and capacity building were suggested as the foremost priority to increase participation in the information society.

Apart from the two presentations, a panel comprised of Mr. Kuferidji Ramanou from Groupe Afri Concept of Benin, Dr. Abdel-Fatau Mussha Open Society West Africa (OSIWA), Senegal, and Mr. George Christianson from AMARC Africa, discussed the main issues for the media in the development of the African information society. The panelists, among others, highlighted that:

§         Globalisation is a double-edged sword that promotes information and knowledge and at the same time dominance of global media.

§         The media needs to play a critical role in the promotion of the charter of the African Union and the development agenda of NEPAD.

§         Africa needs to improve its presence in the information society by developing its own content.

§         There was progress on the African Charter on broadcasting to be adopted as a tool for driving the information society.

Following discussions, sets of recommendations were made, which include:

§         The African Charter on broadcasting should be used as an African position for ICT development for media at the World Summit on the Information Society.

§         There is a need for capacity building for managers, technicians, animators, producers, etc. by mobilising resources at national, regional, and international levels.

§         Strategies should be developed for the creation of African content that finances and sustains the media.

§         There is a need to develop appropriate financing mechanism for sustaining the African private media.

§         The proliferation of an “ICT media” that promotes the information society should be encouraged.

§         There is a need for the introduction of new technologies at media training schools, and media centers in order to manage changes in new technologies.

§         The creation of media network of networks that builds upon existing networks will be critical for participation in the information society by practitioners.

§         Research should be carried out to device new models and configurations for motivation and training of media personnel in relation to new technologies.

§         There is also a need for investigation of new models that use electronic commerce for the delivery of content by African media.