ALI Media Fellowship Programme
Why Now?
Africa’s formal economic sector is increasingly thriving; many countries are experiencing unprecedented levels of prosperity, investment, social and economic growth. To sustain this growth, governments, the private sector and civil society require reliable and up-to-date sources of financial information and economic analysis. Having credible, verifiable and consistent economic data is a vital requirement for stimulating capital investment. As the public and private sectors look to the media to provide data and analysis, the media landscape is undergoing significant changes. Traditional media business models are giving way to new approaches in the new digital age and media leaders will be looking for new ways to respond to these challenges. They will seek to embrace innovation, diversify and develop their workforce and find new ways to maintain profitability.
The ALI Media Fellowship endeavours to provide a forum for managing directors, editors and other media leaders to hear from leading international practitioners, exchange ideas, and examine new trends to help them shape a media sector that will play a significant role both in Africa’s future economic growth, and in how the continent responds to globalisation, new technologies and new human development opportunities.
Fellowship Programme Components
The ALI Media Fellowship is uniquely poised to bolster financial and business journalism on the continent, while underscoring the advancement of professional, ethical and values-based leadership within the financial media sphere in Africa. The programme was designed to inspire key change-makers to take a lead in determining the continent’s financial and economic narrative by addressing challenges pertaining to the role of media in shaping Africa’s future.
ALI Media Fellows will receive educational offerings, coaching, take part in peer learning and will also have opportunities to work on collaborative projects and network. The initiative incorporates learning opportunities covering financial journalism, business, economics, data analysis and public policy, with an emphasis on ethics and social impact.
Educational offerings
The ALI Media Fellowship offers a series of multi-disciplinary seminars led by distinguished guest moderators addressing critical issues relating to African development, business journalism and values-based leadership that will help participants play a greater role in the development and impact of financial journalism in Africa. Seminar offerings draw inspiration from the works of writers and thinkers from Africa and around the world, as well as case studies. ALI Media Fellows will have access to educational offerings such as management training programmes, university courses and professional development workshops.
Fellowship Seminar Themes
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Media and Development: Africa’s 21st Century Challenges
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Defining Africa’s Future: What is the Role of Media?
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Leading in a Changing Africa
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Africa, Media and Values-based Leadership: The Next Steps
Coaching
ALI Media Fellowship will provide customized opportunities for ALI Media Fellows – who are leaders in their own right - to leverage their ability to shape values-based leadership and to promote quality financial journalism through executive coaching, informal networking opportunities, mentoring and visits to prestigious organisations. ALI Media Fellows will work with the ALI Media Fellowship team to identify such opportunities based on their needs and interests.
Peer Learning
The ALI Media Fellowship will provide fellows with an opportunity to spend time with peers examining issues confronting media in Africa today, including:
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Leading change and innovation in the digital age
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New business models for media
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The value and importance of quality financial journalism in Africa
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How to deliver business journalism effectively
ALI Media Fellows will also learn from, and provide peer support to each other outside of the seminars.
Community Development Projects
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mahatma Gandhi
The ALI Media Fellowship believes media leaders have a responsibility to make a meaningful contribution to their communities. ALI Media Fellows will each design and implement a project during the course of the Fellowship to benefit the community. ALI Media Fellows will also receive guidance on how to implement the community development projects. Projects will all meet set criteria, such as inclusion, impact and innovation.
Networking and Collaboration
The ALI Media Fellowship endeavours to provide a unique forum for media leaders and key stakeholders in the financial sector to exchange ideas and help shape a media sector that will play a significant role in future African development. ALI Media Fellowship will organise continent-wide dialogues where ALI Media Fellows will be invited to take the lead in discussing contemporary issues affecting the quality of reporting on Africa’s business, economic and finance trends. ALI Media Fellows will also be encouraged to identify other opportunities to address salient issues affecting the growth of Africa’s economies.
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About ALI Media Fellowship Programme
The Africa Leadership Initiative(ALI) has developed an innovative Media Fellowship programme for distinguished professionals from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa who have the ability – through their positions of leadership – to influence and enhance the future of financial journalism in Africa and beyond.
The ALI Media Fellowship brings together outstanding leaders in the media, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) sectors from three of Africa’s leading economies. The ALI Media Fellows will help set the standard for in-depth analysis and coverage of business and economic growth, through fostering a more informed citizenry promoting increased financial investment and better governance on the continent. Another facet of the ALI Media Fellowship is its emphasis on the role of values-based leadership in achieving more sustainable and inclusive African development.
The ALI Media Fellowship will combine ALI’s innovative approach to leadership development, created in partnership with the Aspen Institute, with key learnings from financial journalism .
Each class will consist of 24 ALI Media Fellows chosen from a wide pool of candidates from the media, civil society and government, in the three countries.