Journalists from 32 African countries convene in Accra for AFROMEDI III

ACCRA, Ghana - Journalists from 32 African countries have gathered in Accra, Ghana, for the next three days under the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD)’s Media Initiative (AFROMEDI III), write Matiisetso Mosala and Winston Mwale.

The initiative aims to build journalists' capacity for debt and development through integrated and practical sessions that strengthen reporting skills on debt and related issues.

AFRODAD seeks to form partnerships with the media to foster greater transparency and accountability for sustainable public debt management and foster the media’s understanding of Africa’s political economy about financing for development in Africa.

The organization also aims to contribute to journalists’ existing knowledge and understanding of debt management and related financing issues in Africa.

Over three days, journalists will be equipped with information on Africa’s evolving public debt landscape, insights from the public debt toolkit, and the African Borrowing Charter for media practitioners.

The long-term goal is to establish the role of the media in the African debt campaign; Stop the Bleeding, and form a collaboration between the media and members of parliament to promote regional integration such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.

AFRODAD is hosting this media initiative with the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) after successfully hosting AFROMEDI I in June 2021 and AFROMEDI II in March 2022.

It will also introduce new participants to the Media Debt Network Africa for continuous collaboration beyond AFROMEDI III.

According to Economics Professor, Godfred Bokpin of the University of Ghana, the "Scramble for Africa" is back, but this time through trade and debt.

The event, themed "towards media's greater transparency and accountability for sustainable public debt management," seeks to build journalists' capacity for debt and development through practical sessions.

In addition, the Pan-African Fight Inequality Alliance (FIA) highlighted its role within the global Fight Inequality Alliance (FIA) during the conference.

Njoki Njehu, the coordinator of the FIA, emphasized the importance of organizing power from below and across borders to tackle the structural causes of inequality.

The AFRODAD and ACEP initiatives aim to support the development of solutions to multiple intersecting crises in Africa by promoting prudent debt and resource management.

AFROMEDI III will draw participants from 31 African countries selected based on their debt sustainability status.

AFROMEDI's previous media training sessions were hosted in Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia, and have now been scaled up to a continental level.