Dakar (ICK News) – From December 5, 2024, Senegal’s vibrant capital, Dakar, hosts a two-day summit of the African Women in Media (AWIM24).
The event gathers media professionals, academics, policymakers, and advocates to reflect on past achievements and map strategies under the theme “Media and Sustainability.”
In her opening remarks, Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola, co-founder of African Women in Media, emphasized the pressing challenges and opportunities facing the media industry, particularly regarding financial sustainability, development goals, and technological advancements.
“We must reflect on how to adapt to and harness emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to further our mission. At the same time, we need to ensure that our efforts toward gender equality and equity in media are integral to these developments,” Dr. Akinbobola asserted.
She posed critical questions to the assembly, “How do we ensure that gender-focused work remains at the forefront as new technologies emerge? How do we secure representation and make the evolving media landscape work for us? This is a tall order, but together, we can rise to the challenge.”
AWIM24’s agenda spans a variety of crucial topics, including; Best practices and lessons in media business and management, Regulation and policy as pathways to media sustainability, The impact of artificial intelligence on gender-based violence, and Media strategies for addressing violence against women and girls.
Achievements from AWIM23
Reflecting on the previous summit held in Kigali in 2023, AWIM celebrated groundbreaking progress. The highlight was the Kigali Declaration on the Elimination of Gender-Based Violence in and through Media in Africa by 2034, a landmark framework co-designed by media actors, academics, and leaders.
In the past year, significant strides have been made in implementing this declaration: Among the achievement, there is a formation of an advisory committee to oversee and guide the declaration’s rollout, launch of the declaration platform, and strategic funding as AWIM’s partner, Fojo Media Institute, awarded $5,000 in grants to organizations and individuals in Rwanda for initiatives aligned with the declaration.
In addidion, with the support of UNESCO through the IPDC framework, TRAKD Project was initiated to equip newsrooms with tools and resources to integrate the Kigali Declaration into their practices.
Also, backed by the African Women Development Fund, AWIM has launched Regional Media Coverage Program, a two-year initiative focusing on media reporting of violence against women and girls in Burkina Faso, Benin Republic, and Togo.
Since its inception in 2016, AWIM has emerged as a leading force in reshaping Africa’s media landscape. Over eight years, the organization has consistently championed gender equity, media sustainability, and transformative policies.
