Howzit MSN expands into Africa

Howzit MSN, a web portal in South Africa has expanded its reach into the rest of the continent with the launch of a dedicated channel for Africa. This move is in response to the growing demand of internet users for locally relevant content and from advertisers for advertising inventory that reaches a pan-African market. 13 Jan 2012 10:10

YouTube pursues Ugandans with local edition

[Walter Wafula] YouTube, the popular online video transmitter has rolled out a local domain name for Uganda to enhance and ease access to relevant film content in the East African nation. 5 Dec 2011 09:23

Uganda: Oil and gas journalists to be honoured

[Walter Wafula] Ugandan journalists covering the oil and gas industry will be honoured for their work this year, in an effort aimed at raising the profile of good investigative journalism in the country. 4 Nov 2011 09:10

AMI, Google starts project to keep African media alive

[Walter Wafula] Bizcommunity.com has suspended the article 'AMI, Google starts project to keep African media alive' by Walter Wafula, published on Wednesday, 21 September 2011, pending an investigation in the correctness of the facts. We regret any confusion caused. 21 Sep 2011 12:00

Google urges journos to go digital to thrive

[Walter Wafula] At the recent Google's gUganda conference held in Kampala, Ugandan journalists were urged to embrace digital tools such as smartphones and tablet computers to secure their future as content providers. 19 Sep 2011 12:37

[Highway Africa 2011] Making the media work with the civil society

[Gregory Gondwe] A meeting of senior media gurus from five African countries, took place on Saturday 17 September 2011 at the Highway Africa Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, agreed to disagree on whether the media needs to be bed fellows with civil society to achieve either parts' objectives or not. 19 Sep 2011 10:37

Germany to promote budget reporting in East Africa

[Walter Wafula] Germany's International Institute for Journalism (IIJ) is set to train East African journalists on covering public spending to improve reporting on national budgets and the use of tax payer's money. 7 Sep 2011 10:01

Social media, popular revolt: cure against African dictators?

[Issa Sikiti da Silva: @sikitimedia] The events and developments of the past six months in Africa have demonstrated that the rise of social media has not only revolutionised the business environment, but also redefined the political scene by shaking the foundation of dictatorship, lack of service delivery and corruption for the first time since the dawn of independences. 5 Jul 2011 10:14

African people disillusioned with leadership - Moeletsi Mbeki

[Issa Sikiti da Silva: @sikitimedia] "African people - like me - are completely disillusioned with the performance of their leaders because of what they have done and what they are doing, and for me these people should not be called leaders, but rather the elite," Moeletsi Mbeki, brother of former South African president Thabo Mbeki and chairman of the SA Institute of International Affairs, said, speaking at the CNN-MultiChoice media forum currently taking place in Bryanston, Johannesburg, on Friday, 24 June 2011. 24 Jun 2011 11:56

Press freedom celebrations tempered with concerns

Yesterday, Tuesday, 3 May 2011, was the 20th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, begun in Namibia as the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of principles calling for a free, independent and pluralistic media throughout the world. Celebrations around the world were tempered with concerns about the erosion of press freedom and in South Africa, SANEF called on Government to review its proposed legislations that has seen SA downgrade from 'free press' to 'partly free'. 4 May 2011 09:13

Decline in press freedom experienced in key countries - report

WASHINGTON: The number of people worldwide with access to free and independent media declined to its lowest level in over a decade, according a Freedom House study released yesterday, 2 May 2011. The report, Freedom of the Press 2011: A global survey of media independence, found that a number of key countries experienced significant declines, producing a global landscape in which only one in six people live in countries with a press that is designated Free. 3 May 2011 14:00

Concern mounts over missing SA journo as govt scrambles to assist

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] As concern mounts over the fate of Anton Hammerl, a South African photographer missing in Libya alongside two US journalists and one Spanish photographer, the Presidency said yesterday, Wednesday, 20 April 2011, that President Jacob Zuma has been briefed on the attempts made by the SA mission in Libya to locate Hammerl. Reports from Washington DC also suggest that the White House is very concerned about their well-being and it is trying hard to assist them in any way it can. 21 Apr 2011 11:10

Panos moves to improve tax reporting in East Africa

[Walter Wafula] Journalists in East Africa can expect to acquire skills on reporting tax and governance issues in the region to stimulate debate on better policy actions and accountability. Panos East Africa, a regional information and communication organisation for development of non-governmental organisations, is planning a training programme on the topics. 11 Apr 2011 11:25

EAC journalists to acquire reporting skills on regional integration

[Walter Wafula] East African journalists have an opportunity to acquire reporting skills on matters of regional integration through a new training programme that starts on 10 April 2011. 22 Mar 2011 12:15