Deputy Mayor of Cultural Affairs in Fes
Dean of the Faculty of Letters at Fes University
President of HACA
African Women in Media here gathered
Ladies and gentlemen

On behalf of the Directorate of Information and Communion of the African Union, let me begin by acknowledging the very impressive and awe-inspiring presence of all the guests of honour here today, and to thank you most sincerely, for the unparalleled hospitality you have shown us since our arrival in this beautiful city of Fez. We have lacked for nothing, and have thoroughly enjoyed the different sessions of this edition of the African Women in Media conference, of which the African Union is a proud partner. Our appreciation also goes out to the organizing committee that put all the logistics together.

Excellences, ladies and gentlemen
Africa's Agenda 2063 development framework recognises communication as an enabler of the achievement of its various aspirations and goals. It has also long been proven that information is indeed key to development, as it allows citizens to make informed decisions, share experiences and learn lessons from each other. Journalists, being the intermediary that provides information both ways between institutions and their publics, are therefore key stakeholders in the development process.

In this regard, the African Union, through the Directorate of Information and Communication, has walked with AWiM on the worthwhile journey of capacitating African media women for the past 4 years. Our commitment is driven by the desire to ensure that we have media that engage with African development from a position of knowledge about the different key issues. Capacity building is a long journey, but we chip away at the challenges every day in a common purpose to reframe the African narrative.

It is in this regard that we sponsor the African Union Agenda 2063 Media Awards at this AWiM conference, to support women journalists in their ambitions to see their stories come to life and give a voice to the communities represented in their final work. Under this initiative, 5 winners receive grants of 3000 United States dollars each from the African Union. With the funding received, each winner will have sufficient means to produce relevant, evidence based and timely content in their chosen format: content that digs deep into the issues to answer the famous five W’s and one H of journalism.

We are therefore very encouraged by the presence of so many professional women journalists who are determined to make their mark in telling the many stories of success, challenges, and mitigation measures, as well as the concrete plans for a brighter future, that are made by our heads of state and government and other policy and decision makers, with the participation of the African public.

This year’s applicants selected their topics from the following award categories:
AU Theme of the Year 2022 – The Year of Nutrition
Positioning Africa for the 4th Industrial Revolution
Changing Narratives and perceptions
Promoting efforts towards the Economic and Financial Inclusion of African Women
Promoting the Rights of Children in Africa

Ladies and gentlemen:
From promulgating policies that protect access to information, safety and welfare of journalists, to capacity building initiatives such as this, the African Union seeks to ensure that the stories of Africa are told correctly, by the continent’s own people, and in their own words. This is line with the AU’s vision of African development that is driven by African people.

Our efforts at reframing the African narrative are further supported by the AU media fellows programme, which brings together innovation and creativity to present under reported stories that break down stereotypes and create new narratives for the Africa we Want. The first cohort under this programme has already been extensively exposed to the AU work and processes through various training programmes.

Additionally, we are also working closely with online encyclopedias in efforts to increase the visibility of African knowledge products online. Another collaborative programme, the Africa Fact Book, which is also available online, aims to bust the many myths that have fed into erroneous stereotypes about the continent.

With these few remarks, and on behalf of the African Union, allow me to, once again, appreciate all the fellow communicators gathered in this room from the four corners of our continent. And to reiterate our sincerest gratitude for the warmth that we feel all around us in Morocco, and, in particular, this city of Fes.

I thank you