The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has announced that the 2025 edition of the West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA), an initiative that promotes media excellence in the sub-region, will take place from October 9 to 11, 2025, in Accra, the Ghanaian capital.
The conference brings together experts in various media, governance, and democracy-related fields for discussion on media development and good governance challenges across the African continent, while the Awards are to reward and inspire journalism excellence in West Africa, as well as honour West African journalists who have produced compelling works which have had a significant impact on society.
Scheduled to convene key media professionals, policymakers, journalists and editors, digital rights organisations, technology experts, and civil society organisations, this year’s WAMECA will explore the theme “Journalism and Digital Public Infrastructure in Africa,” and aims to highlight the critical intersection of digital infrastructure, media, governance, and development on the continent.
The MFWA explained that Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) includes digital identity systems, payment gateways, data exchange platforms, and open digital systems, all of which have rapidly transformed governance and development practices globally.
The Foundation added that governments in Africa are increasingly investing in digitalisation to transform their economies and facilitate public service delivery, and consequently, many countries have developed national plans and strategies to guide the deployment and governance of DPI, as well as digital public goods (DPGs) and services.
It noted, however, that awareness and knowledge around DPI remain significantly limited within mainstream media and public discourse in Africa, saying that this gap hampers public understanding, accountability, and informed decision-making, which are crucial for sustainable development and good governance.
According to MFWA, journalism plays a pivotal role in bridging the knowledge gap and establishing accountability measures to guide government policies and interventions on DPI/DPG, and, in light of this, WAMECA 2025 will convene the continent’s distinguished media and technology stakeholders in discussions aimed at improving the deployment of DPI.
MFWA explained that WAMECA 2025 will deliberate on strategies for empowering African media to become robust advocates and watchdogs of digital transformation initiatives, ensuring technology serves the greater public good while driving policy formulation and implementation across West Africa.
WAMECA 2025, the eighth edition of the events, will take place in Accra, Ghana, from October 9 to 11, 2025. While the conference will take place on October 9 and 10, 2025, the awards ceremony is scheduled for the evening of October 11, 2025.
Over the years, WAMECA has functioned as a gathering place for experts in various media, governance, and democracy-related fields for discussion on media development and good governance challenges across the continent.
For more information about and participation in WAMECA 2025, please visit wameca.mfwa.org or contact Samson Anang at samson[@]mfwa.org or Vivian Affoah at vivian[@]mfwa.org.
