The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has underscored the critical need for journalists to play an active and central role in policing and shepherding Africa’s fast expanding digital transformation agenda
The Foundation warns that the bold and commendable revolution could inadvertently widen inequality gaps, lead to rights violations, and create security risks without the watchful eye and active participation of an informed media.
Executive Director Sulemana Braimah made the assertion, opening the eight west Africa media excellence conference and awards (WAMECA) in Ghana’s capital Accra on Thursday October 9th, 2025.
This year’s conference themed “Journalism and digital public infrastructure in Africa” strikes a chord at a time African countries are investing substantial public funds into the building of national digital identification systems; digital payment platforms and data sharing stacks that form the pillars of Digital Public Infrastructure.
The ceremony has gathered some 300 journalists from across Africa alongside industry captains in tech and communications; policy makers; civil society bodies and strategic partners for a two-day packed series of focus discussions.
In his address, Sulemana Braimah emphasized the urgency for journalists to be empowered to play a central oversight role in this digital revolution to ensure the vulnerable are neither excluded nor their rights stifled by these policy level decisions.
He cautioned, “If the ongoing digital developments are not accompanied by brave journalism, we risk building a digital system that may be efficient but not fair; a digital system that may be right but not a rights respecter; a digital ecosystem that may be useful but not inclusive; and an ecosystem that may be powerful but not accountable.
No matter how sophisticated a piece of technology is, it cannot be a driver of development if it is not accompanied by the fundamental essentials of trust, transparency inclusion, privacy and all the other fundamentals of human rights,” Braimah added.
Acknowledging the technical complexity of the field, he pointed out that the media can only play this role effectively with capacity building that equips journalists with the requisite knowledge and tools to track progress of DPIs; identify teething challenges; highlight digital exclusion and expose data protection flaws in their stories.
“Journalism is not and cannot be only about observing the ongoings within the digital transformation ecosystem. Journalism is the cornerstone of legitimacy and success for the ongoing digital revolution on the continent,” he averred.
DPI Fellowship Achievements
Sulemana Braimah shared significant strides achieved by the Media Foundation for West Africa and its partner Co-Develop in training some 65 journalists from ten African countries in the space of two years through the West Africa DPI journalism project.
The DPI Journalism Fellowship remains the largest backbone for several newsrooms across the African continent providing cutting edge in person camping and virtual trainings to journalists in the areas of Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Public Goods,
The fellowship has proven successful, delivering funding opportunities for journalist in the field and directly building valuable collaborations between newsrooms, policy makers and public service providers with the aim of fostering synergies that drive inclusive, safe and accountable DPI structures in individual countries.
“So far, through the DPI Journalism Fellowship, the fellows have produced a total of 376 stories that throw light on the evolution of DPIs in our region,” Sulemana announced.
Government Collaboration
Representing government and the sector minister, Deputy minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Mohammed Adams Sukparu: commended the MFWA for sustaining WAMECA and providing an annual platform that converges policy makers, the media fraternity and citizens to dialogue on pertinent issues.
“WAMECA has become a space where the media, policy makers and the citizens meet to reflect, learn and collaborate for a better West Africa. The theme for this year’s WAMECA is both bold and relevant and invites us to think deeply about how the tools that power our digital economies can also strengthen democracy, transparency and inclusion,” he applauded.
Adams Sukparu outlined the Government of Ghana’s resolve to involve journalists across the full breadth of the country’s digitization initiatives which have culminated in the successful roll out of the National Identification Cards, the Ghana.gov platforms and Mobile Money Interoperability spurring on financial inclusion and improving public service delivery.
ECOWAS Efforts
He congratulated the Media Foundation for West Africa and its partners for their valuable contributions to promoting media excellence across the West African sub region insisting that journalists bear a crucial burden of oiling the wheels of digitalization by using their media platforms to responsibly and ethically drive digital literacy.
WAMECA 2025 Sessions:
This year’s conference has a rich array of panel discussions on extensive topics including Journalism, DPI and Africa’s Future Development; DPI and Inclusive Development in Africa; Highlighting the Role of Journalism in Promoting DPIs in Africa and Experience Sharing from DPI Journalism Fellowship.
The last day of the conference will see more panel discussions around Africa’s financial independence: the role of Fintechs in combating IFFs; the Safety of Journalists and Political Accountability and Forging collaboration among the state, private sector and CSOs for DPI Ecosystem enablement.
WAMECA 2025 enjoys the support of MTN; GCB Bank, Oxfam, 11th Hour Project, AfricaNenda Foundation:, Co-Develop and DW Akademie
