Leaders and visionaries in the fields of media, business, government, technology, and community engagement are set to gather in the picturesque city of Cape Town, South Africa, for the highly anticipated annual Africa Business Media Innovators (ABMI) forum. This significant event, running from October 30 to November 1, is co-hosted by M. Scott Havens, CEO of Bloomberg Media, Matthew Winkler, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Bloomberg News, and Erana Stennett, Corporate Philanthropy Middle East and Africa at Bloomberg. It marks a triumphant return to in-person proceedings, an inspiring reunion since the last physical gathering in 2019, following the virtual ‘ABMI Chats’ series in 2020 and 2021.
ABMI, in its sixth edition, has previously convened thought leaders in Senegal (2019), Zambia (2018), Ghana (2017), Kenya (2016), and South Africa (2015). This year’s forum promises to catalyse innovative business solutions shaping the future of media and journalism in Africa and beyond. As the world embarks on the digital age, media leaders in Africa are gearing up for the challenges and opportunities presented.
M. Scott Havens, CEO of Bloomberg Media, expressed, “Against the backdrop of a fragmented global media landscape and challenges to business models at both a local and global level, this forum provides an opportunity for fresh approaches, ideas, and solutions to building sustainable media business models in Africa and beyond.”
Matthew Winkler, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Bloomberg News, noted, “ABMI comes at a time of growing optimism around Africa’s economic potential and aims to act as a platform for action to catalyse investment, growth, and development by contributing to the strengthening of business and financial reporting on the continent.”
The 2023 forum will delve into the opportunities and challenges that define the future of media in Africa. Key themes to be explored include the impact of new technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), the evolving landscape of newsrooms, and the sustainability of legacy media in the face of increased global competition. Attendees can also anticipate an in-depth analysis of the current state of the media landscape in Africa and worldwide.
Distinguished speakers at this year’s forum include:
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Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO, Big Cabal
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Styli Charalambous, CEO, Daily Maverick
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Paul Cheung, Chief Executive Officer, The Center for Public Integrity
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Thembisa Faukude, CEO, Mail & Guardian
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Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director, and Chief Curator, Zeitz MOCCAA
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Prof. Lesley Lokko, Founder, African Futures Institute
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Nyimpini Mabunda, CEO, General Electric Southern Africa
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Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director, Africa and the Middle East, Spotify
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Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa, Co-Founder and CEO Rappler
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Pamella Sittoni, Executive Editor and Managing Editor, The Nation Media Group
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Monde Twala, Senior Vice President & GM Paramount Africa & Lead BET International, Paramount International
The annual ABMI forum is integral to the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa (BMIA), a pan-African program launched by Michael R. Bloomberg in 2014. BMIA’s mission is to enhance business journalism in Africa, accelerate the development of a globally competitive media and financial reporting industry, and foster interactive dialogues among leaders to improve the quality of financial coverage and the availability of reliable data on the continent.
Recently, Bloomberg expanded its executive education program in business and financial journalism, BMIA Financial Journalism Training (FJT), to Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, offering the program in French for the first time. This move has attracted over 100 participants from the new training cohorts. Previously implemented in Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, the FJT program has reached 800 participants from 16 countries across the African continent.
The ABMI forum is a pivotal event for Africa’s media and journalism landscape, ushering in a new era of innovation, collaboration, and transformation. It stands as a testament to the growing influence of African media and its potential to contribute to the continent’s economic prosperity.