Identifying media role in re-imagining Africa
As it was in the World Economic Forum held in Abuja last year, the WEF programme in the just concluded summit in Cape Town did not contain media role in reimagining Africa for discussion. Still this is an industry central to the course.
In any economy, the media do not only contribute to the functioning economy but the expression and amplification of ideas on their platforms have shaped economies.
Today, Africa’s story is partly shaped by the international media. This has not only permeated the behavior of some Africans but has created a perception of Africa as not only as country but a continent swamped with hunger, disease and violence.
York Zucchi, Swiss investor and entrepreneur in Africa affirmed in a report that “in the real world there is an Africa that has been shaped by international media and visitors. It has been shaped over many a story over even more many a years around scandals around gross corruption, lack of an educated workforce and crisis after crisis (whether conflict or healthcare related)”.
With this perception, some light-minded investors become weak about Africa even as African investors seek their cooperation to exploit the abundant resources in the content for big margins to both parties.
“How do the entrepreneurs around the world find these opportunities? This is where the “media” – that same media that created or helped create that international perception of Africa as a “basket case” – is playing an incredibly pivotal role, whether intentionally or not”, said Zucchi. But the local media must begin to set the agenda and play bigger role this time.
To experts, African media, at the moment, ever than before should shoulder a heavier responsibility to inform, educate and analyse to the international investors where the opportunities are. Simply put, the media are critical in rewriting African history as the international media would not do it for the continent.
In absence of strong pressure groups in each African economy to either hold government accountable on its promises or direct government investments plans to critical areas to drive the economy, the media therefore must assume and increase their role on this.
A number of resolutions were reached at the WEF for Africa in Cape Town attended by 1,250 participants with the theme “Then and Now: Reimagining Africa’s Future”. This include holistic’ approach to regional integration considered as vital for Africa’s economic development. The participants believed that removing impediments to the movement of goods and people around Africa is critical for economies to develop.
There were also resolutions on the need of African governments, investors and international financial institutions to significantly scale up investment in energy to unlock Africa’s potential; Boosting agriculture, services and value chains as key to Africa’s competitiveness; Mobilising capital for African economic growth through public, private partnerships and stemming capital flight.
Though, various governments sometimes engage technocrats who understand the importance of these points, but the media role, in addition to reportorial responsibilities, is to put heat on the governments to address these sectors for faster economic development.
As noted by UNCTAD, Africa entered the 21st century with promising economic prospects but despite Africa’s recent growth performance, there are indications that countries on the continent are still experiencing wrong type of growth in the sense that joblessness is still widespread and growth has not led to significant reductions in poverty.
The body said the reason for the jobless growth is that the economies have not gone through the normal process of transformation. The media again shoulders the responsibility to educate the governments on the investments in energy, agriculture to appropriately transform the economies and achieve the right growth.
WEF Africa and other discussion platforms need to find ways of engaging the African media, not only as reportorial tool during conferences but on their contributions on African economic growth.
Daniel Obi