‘Nation’ marks its golden jubilee with media conference

An international conference opens in Nairobi on Thursday, bringing together the largest gathering of media on Kenyan soil to examine the industry’s past, present and future prospects, in light of the challenges of a dynamic and globalised environment.

The Pan African Media Conference, whose theme is ‘Media and Africa’s Promise’, will bring together more than 1,000 stakeholders to discuss the issues affecting the industry.

“It is a prudent time to re-examine our gains and reset our agendas in light of new developments in the industry. More importantly, the conference will explore how the media can help deliver economic gain to Africa,” said Mr Linus Gitahi, the Chief Executive Officer of Nation Media Group (NMG).

The conference, which is part of NMG’s 50th anniversary celebrations, will feature a number of presentations from media owners and scholars, journalists, civil society and the government.

Among the dignitaries invited to the celebrations are former Mozambique President Joachim Chissano, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the mobile telecommunications entrepreneur, Dr Mohamed (Mo) Ibrahim.

The landmark conference is taking place at a time when the industry is gradually shifting to emerging technologies in news collection, preparation, and dissemination.

On the global front, the media has been characterised by shifts that have seen consumer loyalty change from traditional content.

Over the last 50 years, Africa’s media scene has gone through a metamorphosis to be one of the most advanced and dynamic industries in the world.

“We are definitely seeing the emerging middle-class dictating a change in the way media is received. This is informed by increased use of the Internet by many in this group, and could have significant future implications for the industry as a whole,” said Joe Otin, Synovate research director.

The conference will also offer solutions on how African policy can be shaped in light of the rapid transitions taking place in the industry.

Media houses around the world are grappling with the effects of technological change, which have called for more efficient newsrooms, enhanced innovation, increased financial pressures and the search for new revenue streams.

International and local speakers will discuss the transformation of newsroom culture and the effects of the new media such as the Web on the news gathering process.

The growing influence of citizen journalism, which allows for non-professional journalists to participate in the news gathering process will also be a point of focus during the forum.

Kenya’s media representatives will talk about the future direction of the industry, which is on the cusp of change due to regulatory forces and the emergence of a more youthful audience who demand more technological solutions.

Kenya is still riding the waves of change brought about by “radical political shifts over the last 10 years that have seen increased freedom for both the public and other institutions to air their views through the media openly and candidly; increased political content and political battles fought via the media; and the growth of public demand for information and news”, noted African Media Initiative, in a recent report on the country’s media landscape.