Accra,
Nov. 19,
GNA -
Investment
in
Africa
Media
yields
very
high
returns,
the
African
Media
Leaders
Forum (AMLF)
declared
at the
end of
their
meeting
in
Dakar,
Senegal.
A
release
from the
Accra
Office
of the
World
Bank
said the
Forum
called
on the
global
investor
community
and
financial
institutions,
banks
and
national,
regional
and
international
organizations
to
recognize
the
African
media
industries
as
profitable
investment
opportunities.
It urged
Africa's
development
partners
to take
into
account
the role
of media
in all
aspects
of
development
programmes
and
projects
and
encouraged
them to
adopt a
more
coordinated
and
synergistic
engagement
with the
media.
The
Forum
invited
African
governments,
the
African
Union
Commission,
and
regional
African
organizations
to take
proactive
steps in
creating
conditions
conducive
for
promoting
media as
partners
for
achieving
sustainable
development
on the
African
continent.
It
agreed
as media
owners,
to reach
a
consensus
on
formulating
an AMLF
Charter
and
underscored
the
importance
of
swiftly
establishing
an
African
Media
Initiative
(AMI) as
a
permanent
corporate
entity
in
Africa
to
support
the
activities
of AMLF
and
serve as
a
resource
for
media
development
across
the
Continent.
The
Forum
observed
that the
Continent
has been
undergoing
rapid
political,
economic,
social
and
cultural
change
and that
these
transformational
forces
presented
challenges
and new
opportunities
for
significantly
improving
the
living
standards
of the
African
people
and said
these
developments
have
spawned
strong
demand
for
information,
new
knowledge,
ideas,
and
innovation.
It said
that as
a
result,
African
media
industries
have
grown
exponentially
over the
past two
decades,
driven
by the
opening
up of
political
systems
and
democratization,
technological
innovation,
economic
growth,
and the
need for
cultural
affirmation.
The
Forum
said it
recognised
the need
for
African
media
leaders
to work
together
to
improve
the
enabling
economic
environment
for
media
industries
in order
to
ensure
their
growth
and
strengthen
their
competencies
to
improve
the
skills
and
knowledge
of media
professionals.
It said
it would
do this
by
strengthening
collaboration
and the
sharing
of
experiences,
content
and
sound
management
practices
and
identifying
opportunities
for
growing
media
businesses
in order
to
support
Africa's
development.
GNA
