GJA set to host African Media Convention

About 1,000 local and foreign media practitioners from Africa are expected to converge on Accra for the third African Media Convention (AMC) at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) from May 15 to 17, 2024. 

They comprise 600 participants from 30 countries and over 400 local participants. The Co-chair of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, disclosed this at a press briefing held at the Ministry of Information in Accra last Tuesday to brief Ghanaians on the preparations towards the convention.

Mr Dwumfour said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would open the all-important conference and even have dinner with the foreign media practitioners and some selected local participants.

AMC

The three-day event is arguably the largest gathering of media stakeholders and policymakers on the continent. It will bring together media experts, scholars, students, journalists, journalists' unions and associations, editors, public and private sector players, including cooperating partners from around the African continent and beyond, as well as representatives from UNESCO and the African Union Commission.

The convention, which is an initiative of The African Editors’ Forum (TAEF), is designed to safeguard the hard-won media freedoms and safety of journalists on the continent. The maiden edition of the convention was hosted by the East African Editors Forum in Arusha, Tanzania, two years ago, while the second one was hosted by the Southern Africa Editors Forum (SAEF) in Lusaka, Zambia.

Platform

Mr Dwumfour said the AMC was a fast-growing platform that, he believed, would generate a coalition of ideas, support systems, and actors to shape the future of media in Africa and around the world.

The AMC, he said, offered a refreshing platform that had the potential to make a significant impact on the industry at the continental level. "The hosting of the third AMC in Ghana is a testament to Ghana’s record as one of Africa’s fast-growing conference destinations.

"In recent years Ghana has organised World Press Freedom Day, a global celebration, and several ECOWAS and AU heads of state summits," he said, and that the "convergence of Africa’s media elite will allow us to, among others, discuss how to promote a positive African narrative globally which will lead to attracting more positive interest in Africa," he said.

Additionally, Mr Dwumfour said it would focus attention on how to combat misinformation on the continent's social media platforms, especially in the face of threats to democracy.

The GJA President said hosting of the AMC coincided with the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the GJA and so, "it holds great significance and historical value to all of us as practitioners".

He emphasised that the AMC was the biggest thing to happen to Ghana over the last decade and that the GJA and practitioners were proud that such a significant milestone would be unfolding before "our very eyes in a few weeks to come".

Preparedness

Having won the bid to host the AMC, he said the GJA and the LOC were pleased to inform all that they had made significant progress in their preparations for hosting this year's event.

In the first place, he said, they had secured all logistics and contract logistics support, including assets, personnel and resources required to effectively host the convention. "In terms of marketing and publicity, we have put together marketing campaigns and publicity materials which are in their final review stages, which we will soon be sharing with the media and relevant stakeholders for onward distribution and circulation," he said, adding that both the GJA and the LOC were confident of their readiness to host the convention.

He said the GJA and the LOC had received the commitment and full assurance of the government of Ghana in ensuring a successful hosting of the event. "The LOC met last Monday to receive briefing from the event organiser, in terms of production, and sub-committee chairs, including protocols and security.

"Per the briefings that my Co-chair and I received yesterday, I can assure you all that all is set for the third AMC in Accra,” he said. He said the event would be live on GTV and major media outlets and that media houses would also be given a quota for their members to participate in the event.

He implored journalists, particularly morning show hosts, presenters, online portals and bloggers to take the Accra AMC as a world cup and create a buzz around it to enable the organisers to achieve the goal they had set for themselves.

Commendation

Mr Dwumfour commended the government, particularly President Akufo-Addo and the former Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, for the all-important conference. He said when Mr Oppong Nkrumah led the team to meet the President to officially inform him of our bid to host the event, he (President) did not hesitate to assure them of his support and funding, including state logistics, to give participants a wonderful reception.

"This singular assurance by the President was a morale booster for the LOC. I think that our government deserves commendation. “Let me also use this opportunity to congratulate Fatimatu Abubakar, my Co-chair, on her elevation as the substantive Minister of Information.

I must say she has been very phenomenal as far as the work of the Local Organising Committee is concerned," he noted. The Minister of Information designate, Fatimatu Abubakar, pledged the government's commitment to ensure the success of the convention.

Ms Abubakar, who is also the President's representative at the Ministry of Information, said: "This is a proud moment for media practice in Ghana as we invite our compatriots from across the continent with participation from over 30 countries in Africa."

Ms Abubakar said the high-profile event had the blessing of both the President and the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. "You have the full endorsement and participation of the President and executives of the Republic of Ghana," she emphasised.