NIMCA now operational, holds maiden meeting
DAR ES SALAAM: THE new Pan Africanist media body – the Network for Independent Media Councils in Africa (NIMCA) has finally become operational after it held its maiden technical committee meeting in Dar es Salaam recently.
Media Consultant and Trainer from South Africa, Mr Izak Minnaar said they have been working on the concept of Pan-Africanist media association for many years and that they were now glad to see it coming into existence.
“We have been working on this concept (Pan Africanist media association) for many years; it took us time to think through before issuing a press statement on the establishment of NIMCA in Cape Town,” said Mr Minnaar.
The consultant, formerly editor of digital news at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), was instrumental in the technical committee meeting held at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Tanzania offices early this week.
NIMCA, the first ever media body that brings together all Africa media councils, was officially launched on Thursday 16 May 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa.
The members recommended Tanzania as the permanent seat of the news continental organisation, with chairmanship rotating among the member countries.
The recommendations are expected to be tabled on the NIMCA Annual Conference 2025 to be held in Tanzania. Tanzania’s media guru, Mr Ernest Sungura, who is also the Executive Secretary of the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), was elected NIMCA Chairman in that historic event in the continent, with a growing number of media outlets.
“We invite independent media regulators across the continent to take up membership of this promising unity to make self-regulation of our African media outlets a reality, raising ethical practices, which would increasingly professionalise our African Media,” Mr Sungura said in his opening address.
The technical committee members who attended the Dar es Salaam inaugural meeting early this week were Mr. Sungura, Ziada Kilobo (Secretary), Mr. Minnaar (South Africa Press Council), and Kennedy Mambwe (Media Self-Regulatory Council of Zambia) who also serves as NIMCA board member other participants were Mr Michael Power and Wendy Trott, Consultants from Alt Advisory Africa, Ms. Elizabeth Wachuka and Mr Derek Murusuri who is media and management consultant from MCT.
NIMCA technical committee members also included Mr. Josephat Mwanzi, Mr Bryan Tosh from MCT and Mr Victor Bwire from the Media Council of Kenya.
Mr Michael Power of Alt Advisory Africa, stressed on the importance of fundraising as a primary function of NIMCA, to strengthen the capacities of the Media councils across Africa.
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On this occasion, Mr Minnaar observed of the dire need to empower Africa’s content regulators.
Challenges facing African Media, apart from quality standards, is the limited availability of resources.
Many African countries struggled with access to adequate funding, state-of the-art technology and skilled human capital.
