MTN HIGHWAY AFRICA MEDIA CONFERENCE OPENS IN SOUTH AFRICA

MTN HIGHWAY AFRICA MEDIA CONFERENCE OPENS IN SOUTH AFRICA

The annual MTN sponsored most recognized and largest media gathering of African Journalists codenamed “Highway Africa Conference” is underway at the Rhodes University in GrayHams Town of the People’s Republic of South Africa.
About five hundred selected Journalists sponsored by the Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTN) are attending this year’s three days conference which marks the 14th edition under the theme “African voices in the global media.”
The conference among other interventions seek to give participants the opportunity to tap more experience from highly paced personalities and top ranked communication experts around the globe who will discuss several topics with emphasis on the role of the African media in re-branding Africa in the scheme of global affairs.
Speaking on the topic “The road to democracy in Africa: the role of the African Journalists” at the first session, Ghana’s immediate past President. H.E John Agyekum Kufour asked African Journalists not to compromise press freedom with biases.
He said it was a matter of regret that Africa has always been under-reported especially by the Western Media. This, he added, provides the imperative for African Journalists to rebrand Africa by highlighting all the positive news about the continent.
This in the estimation of retired President Kufour will make the African voices assume their rightful place in the scheme of global socio-economic affairs which will eraze the wide spread misconception of Africa being a nightmare.
Mr. John Agyekum Kufour who serves as UNICEF’S Ambassador of several projects on the African continent also implored African Journalists to change the dynamics of telling the African story by using the Information Communication Technology to project the continent.
For her part, Madam Noziho January Bardill, the MTN group Corporate Affairs Executive and the company’s spokesperson explained that MTN has been associated with the Highway Africa Conference as a major sponsor because of its determination to enhance mobile rights and broadcast in the context of using the new information world of ICT in telling the African story objectively.
She re-echoed MTN’s commitment to ensure that every African child of school going age is in school by the years 2015 and promised that enough resources will be pumped into the one goal project which was established to achieve that goal.
Talking about the almost ended ongoing World Cup Tournament in South Africa, Madam Noziho announced that 65 million dollars was doled out to sponsor that global soccer event which has put Africa on the highest pedestal.
Part of the money she said went into expanding infrastructure to meet FIFA’s expectation of South Africa being the first African country to host such a soccer event.
Professor Kwame Karikari and Dr. Audrey Gadzepo of the School of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana Legon are among some few selected moderators of various sessions of this year’s conference.
Mr. Enimil Ashon, Editor of the Ghanaian Times Newspaper and Abdul Naatogmah of Citi fm are the only Ghanaian journalists attending the conference courtesy MTN and leader of the team is Madam Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, Senior Manager Corporate Communication of MTN Ghana.