African Media Convention kicks off in Zambia

President of Kenya Editors Guild Zubeida Koome (Centre) and other media stakeholders at the convention centre in Lusaka, Zambia. [Oloo Janak]

The 2nd African Media Convention has kicked off in Lusaka, Zambia, with over 300 media stakeholders gathering to review the state of freedom of expression and freedom of the media in the continent and develop strategies for safeguarding these rights.

The convention, which is being held from May 11-13, is themed: Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights. It is part of efforts by African media stakeholders to emphasize the relevance and role of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), marked annually on May 3.

The media event will also mark 30 years since the UN General Assembly proclaimed the International day of Press Freedom through the Windhoek Declaration in 1991.

The convention is hosted by the Southern Africa Editors Forum (SAEF) and the Media Liaison Committee-Zambia, in partnership with UNESCO, the African Union (AU), and a multi-stakeholder team drawn from journalists' associations, civil society, and government representatives from AU member states.

The event will feature keynote speeches from notable figures, including Zambia's Minister for Information and Media Hon. Chushi Kasanda, Ghana's Deputy Minister for Information Hon Fatimatu Abubakar, as well as representatives from UNESCO and the AU.

Organizations represented at the convention include the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG), Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA), East Africa Editors Society, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Congress of African Journalists (CAJ), Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), and Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU).

The First African Media Convention was held in May 2022 in Arusha, Tanzania, and was addressed by Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu. It was at the first convention that a resolution was made to make it an annual event.