In 1991 I was privileged to launch Mali’s first independent FM station ‘Radio Bamakan’. Fifteen years on, my country has one of the most vibrant independent radio sectors in Africa. In Northern Mali, for instance, community stations now cover in depth the annual official performance review of their local communes. The mayors of poorly performing communes who have had their budgets reduced are said to avoid recriminations from their constituents who listen to these radio broadcasts. Independent media has been described as the lynchpin or connective tissue of democracy. The experience of Mali certainly provides strong evidence to support this.

"A central objective of the African Union is the promotion of democracy, popular participation and good governance."

The Africa Union (AU) is Africa’s premier institution for the social and economic integration of the continent. A central objective of the Union is the promotion of democracy, popular participation and good governance. Improving governance lies at the heart of the new vision for the revival and development of Africa - the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) - adopted by the member states of the Africa Union. In parts of the continent there are signs that a new generation of liberalised media is starting to play an important role as a watchdog, and a public platform for debate and the mediation of conflict. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the member states have formally adopted the effectiveness of independent media in informing the public as a key indicator of progress in creating honest, transparent and accountable government.

It is no easy task to create the conditions for the independent media sector to remain autonomous from government and corporate interference and relevant to the growing needs of their audiences. It is even more of a challenge to document the positive impact that healthy media systems are making on progress towards the 2015 international development targets, the Millennium Development Goals. The publication Media Matters represents a significant achievement in both of these areas. Blending arguments from leading academics with the experiences of media assistance professionals, it presents a cogent case for weaving media and communications assistance into the very fabric of development policy.

"Media Matters has significant implications for all policy-makers concerned to see no country is excluded from the political , social and economic benefits that free and independent media bring."

The UN’s lead contributor to Media Matters, Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor, argues that ‘in the modern globalizing world, information sows the seeds of prosperity, and those without access to information are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to building a better future for themselves and their children’. Media Matters has significant implications for all policy-makers concerned to see no country is excluded from the political, social and economic benefits that free and independent media bring. It merits, therefore, careful analysis and a concerted and concrete response. This needs to come not only from the policy community in Africa, but from the full range of bilateral and multilateral agencies engaged on all our continents in the global partnership for development.

Alpha Oumar Konaré, Chairperson, Africa Union

Media Matters - main page | Executive Summary