Founder & CEO of African Media Agency (AMA)
The African Media Agency (AMA), a pan-African communications network, has launched AMA Academy, a free tool for the African media industry dedicated to empowering journalists, content providers and publishers providing networking, career advancement opportunities, tailored training and certification
AMA noted that to address the growing global demand for and head-spinning African narrative, and the supply of geopolitical and socioeconomic content from all over the continent, African content providers are now competing against well-established names in the global media industry who have unlimited access to resources and cutting-edge technology. The Covid-19 pandemic, AMA added, has worsened the situation by halting the progress of upskilling the African media industry and giving rise to the spread of misinformation, mostly over social channels that have become the main source of information for many segments of society.
It observed that under the circumstances, there is a pressing need for journalists and media entrepreneurs to have access to tools that can help them hone their craft and future-proof their home-grown industry.
It said based on years of serving the African media industry and becoming a global voice for African content, it is creating AMA Academy to serve four key missions: Upskilling journalists and other content providers, helping publishers innovate and better monetize their content, creating a peer-to-peer network, and providing career advancement opportunities to practitioners.
AMA said it is partnering with recognized experts in the industry and established organizations in the field of media innovation and training to design new modules and adapt existing ones to the local requirements across the continent.
Eloïne Barry, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of African Media Agency, said: “One of our main objectives has always been to help transfer skills across the continent and grow the media industry in order to advance a home-grown narrative across the continent and globally. AMA Academy comes as a natural evolution to the work we’ve been passionately doing since we established our network”, adding “We are grateful for the relationships we’ve forged with our media associates over the years, and we hope that AMA Academy will be the first of many value-based offerings that we can provide across the continent”.
AMA Academy is an accredited programme that helps build highly demanded skillsets for those pursuing a career in the media industry. Through tailored training and workshops, the Academy trains media owners and reporters on how to best take advantage of the new technologies being created.
The free courses offered by AMA Academy will be available in Arabic, English, French and Portuguese, and include certification upon completion. These courses include: Innovation and AI, how to monetize the industry and increase financial sustainability, Investigative journalism and critical issues reporting, social media solutions for journalists, and preparing for the future of journalism.
Journalists, bloggers and online publication owners interested in being part of the 2022 cohort can register and find out more here.
The registration process runs until March 25, 2022.
African Media Agency (AMA) is an integrated communications agency that unifies Public Relations, creative services, and digital marketing to create strategic, content-rich communications campaigns that inspire action and build value. With footprint across Africa, AMA understands the dynamic of the African newsrooms, the challenges that journalists are going through, what makes a story interesting and the different style and editorial culture within the continent.
