A two-day Digital Media Africa 2025 conference commenced in Nairobi on Wednesday, September 16, 2025, uniting key stakeholders in journalism.
Delivering a compelling keynote address, President of The African Editors Forum (TAEF), Churchill Otieno underscored the dual challenges and opportunities facing the media landscape in Africa.
He spoke bluntly about the tightening operational space for journalism, citing a surge in attacks on journalists and the economic pressures from shifting advertising revenues. Otieno underscored that in the past year, arbitrary arrests in Uganda and newsroom raids in Ethiopia highlighted the perilous environment for reporters, while West Africa saw stations shuttered, further imperiling the freedom of the press.
As he pointed out, the economic landscape is equally daunting, with advertising revenue increasingly migrating to digital platforms. In South Africa, digital advertising has ballooned to nearly 60% of total ad spend, a trend that is expected to escalate towards two-thirds in the near future.
This shift has forced many newsrooms, including major broadcasters in Kenya, to slash editorial staff by nearly 20% in just three years, raising concerns about the sustainability of quality journalism. However, amidst these challenges, the TAEF President asserted the critical importance of journalism in combating disinformation and propaganda, particularly in volatile regions such as Sudan, where manipulated media has exacerbated tensions and endangered communities.
Despite the grim outlook, Otieno remained optimistic, declaring that innovative revenue models can sustain quality reporting, and cited the Daily Maverick in South Africa, which now derives nearly 40% of its budget from reader memberships, demonstrating that trust-based models can thrive.
Otieno emphasized the need for editors to lead with ethics, underscoring that in an age inundated with propaganda, gatekeeping must surpass mere filtering; it must actively protect civic discourse. He encouraged experimentation with new formats, highlighting how young audiences in Ghana are engaging with news through TikTok explainers and live digital video, urging newsrooms to adapt without compromising journalistic standards.
The TAEF President called for a reimagining of legal and policy frameworks to safeguard journalism as a public good, highlighting recent assaults on journalists during the Ablekuma North election re-run in Ghana, stressing the importance of making journalists safety a non-negotiable priority. He urged attendees to establish clear red lines against such violence, reaffirming that the silencing of journalists equates to the silencing of communities.
The conference also served as a platform for collective action, with recent gatherings like the M20 Summit in Johannesburg and CTRL+J Africa conference fostering collaborative proposals for stronger protections for information integrity and fair compensation from tech giants. Otieno urged attendees to harness these global initiatives, emphasizing that fragmented voices will struggle against consolidated power.
The youth demographic, comprising around 70% of Africa’s population, was a focal point of Otieno’s address, lamenting that young people represent less than 15% of loyal readers in most newsrooms, urging media outlets to connect with this generation through culturally relevant content and emerging platforms. He warned that failure to adapt could result in a significant loss of future audiences, while also advocating for strategic collaborations with creators and influencers without sacrificing journalistic integrity.
In closing, Otieno reminded the audience that the stakes extend beyond business; they are intrinsically linked to the health of democracy itself. In a continent facing military takeovers and shrinking civic spaces, he urged journalists to be the vanguard for rights defenders, amplifying the voices of the marginalized and resisting manipulation by algorithms.
The road ahead may be fraught with challenges, he acknowledged, but the purpose remains clear: innovate wisely, collaborate deeply, and defend courageously. With this ethos, he asserted, African journalism can not only survive but emerge as a leader in the global media landscape.
The Digital Media Africa 2025 conference promises to be a transformative platform, sharpening strategies and deepening alliances for a resilient and impactful journalism that serves the public interest.
As the conference unfolded, it became clear that the future of journalism in Africa hinges on its ability to adapt and innovate while upholding the highest standards of integrity and credibility. The discussions at Digital Media Africa 2025 are not merely about responding to current challenges but also about seizing the opportunity to redefine the role of journalism in a rapidly changing digital environment. By embracing change and fostering collaborative relationships, African journalism can not only survive but take a leading role in shaping the global media landscape.
By Innocent Samuel Appiah
Source: ghanabusinessnews.com
