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MELISSA Program (Managing the Environment Locally in Sub Saharan Africa)
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An African network based on Affiliateships, environmental management and sustainable development at the local level in Africa.Q: Who benefits from the services you provide and how?
A: More than 1,000 network members in over 45 countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. The MELISSA Program facilitates and supports the development of knowledge resources through the workshops and the Knowledge Expertise Resource Network (KERN) Forum. To build and strengthen a knowledge and expertise database, the KERN Forum encourages the collection and dissemination of valuable knowledge amongst the network members. Through interactive communication, the network members learn from one another, and the base of African expertise is strengthened. We provide information, exchange of ideas, ability to network with others, advanced knowledge of key opportunities, a forum for discussion on issues of mutual interest. The end results are to empower key organizations, to encourage the exchange of information and to build the capacity of individuals and organizations in the field of environmental management and sustainable development, with linkages to poverty alleviation and economic development. (Read More)
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Graduate Program in Cultural and Media Studies (CMS)
(University of Natal, Durban)
Graduate teaching and research with emphasis on development, policy and research.
Q: What are the challenges particular to media groups and development NGOs in Africa today?
A: To retain the relative openness of the public sphere as initially brought about by privatization and de- and re-regulation, and to use these spaces to empower civil society over the centralizing and controlling tendencies of national governments. CMS is achieving this by many means, one of them being our very extensive Web site, which publishes the best student dissertations and essays, republishes out-of-print articles and so on. Our staff and students also consult for various development agencies, such as UNESCO, UNDP, the Forum of African Women Educationalists, local government departments and so on. (Read More)
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Channel Africa
Channel Africa seeks to promote the ideals of the African Renaissance through balanced and objective coverage of news events and dissemination of information.
Q: What restrictions and barriers do women face in joining the ranks of professional media workers and/or development officers in your country?
A: There are no restrictions in theory but in practice there is no visible participation by women in the media of Africa. Restrictions range from non-availability of capital, to few women becoming media entrepreneurs. In South Africa the emphasis is on how few media entrepreneurs are black. Few blacks are even managers.
(Read More)
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Botswana Media Consultative Council (BMCC)
A non-profit advocacy NGO dedicated to promoting the development of a dynamic and democratic media in Botswana.
Q: How do political agendas in your nation's government and in the dominant media affect censorship of the news?
A: ... In 1997 the media was presented with a draft Mass Media Communications bill, which had a number of unacceptably restrictive features. After a significant public outcry the government backed down, and the bill was never presented to Parliament. The BMCC grew out of the resulting coming together of various media stakeholders. Subsequent negotiations with government resulted in the establishment of an autonomous National Broadcasting Board, and Media Advisory Council empowered to discuss ways to create a more enabling environment for democratic media development in both the public and private sectors. ... It is also important to note that media freedom in Botswana has also been challenged by the political and economic agendas of private sector interests. Such pressure has come in the form of withholding advertising, libel suit harassment, censoring and/or firing of journalists and columnists who upset vested interests, and the interference of external donors. (Read More)
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AfricaOnline.com
Africa Online — the gateway to, from and within Africa.
Q: How have you sought to increase the size of your audience or the groups receiving your products and services? How do you fund your project?
A: We are relaunching AfricaOnline.com, folding our eight national sites and www.africaonline.com into a totally redesigned Africa-wide site. We have conducted extensive market research both on what Web users in Africa actually want, and what advertisers and hosting clients need. We are working furiously with our developers on a whole new infrastructure and design to make this a reality. A small but experienced team has been recruited to manage and develop the content, technology, sales and marketing. A realistic analysis of our market and its potential has resulted in a business model that is based on modest expectations and on a vision of this portal contributing to Africa Online as a whole. The AfricaOnline.com site represents a powerful means to exploit the synergies of our multinational group including Internet access, Web design and hosting and the "e-touch" franchise. (Read More)
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