I am quite delighted to be invited here this morning to declare open the second African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF), which I understand is Africa’s only gathering of top media owners and operators. As political leader, I also find the theme of this forum, ‘Shaping the Future of African Media,’ especially fascinating.
Any discussion about the future of African media is also a discussion about the future of Africa itself. The media have always played a leading role in defining, interpreting and, in some cases, even directing the way we think and act about issues and systems. But, as the inevitable forces of globalization continue to draw everyone and everywhere closer, the role of the media in shaping and defining our lives and our systems becomes even more significant. In as much as the media have the unique power to set the agenda, what we think about and how we think about them remain largely the media products.

Central to the role of the media is the creation of perception: the way we see each other and the way others see us. The concept of unity in diversity cannot find a better expression outside the African continent. Almost every country in Africa is populated by incredibly diverse cultures, tribes and religions.  Our inability to manage the tensions of identity relationships within our countries has been a major challenge to the African country and has been at the roots of most the conflicts that have plagued our continent.
Related to this is the image of Africa that is seen by the rest of the world. One is the image of Africa as a developing continent, positively struggling to shake off the burden of its history and heroically facing up to the challenges of the 21st century. Another is the image of Africa as a continent perpetually stuck in the past, a basket case of humanity, at peace with wars, disease and poverty. 

There is no doubt that mistakes have been made by succession of African leadership and things have happen in majority of our countries that lend credence to the native stories being told about Africa. But the story of Africa, for about 50 years of independence is not wholly and totally about the sad stories. There are certainly the good stories to tell as well.

Embedded in all these is the agenda for the African media.  In this context therefore, we can safely conclude that what happens to our media in the next 10, 20 or 50 years and beyond would determine what happens to Africa.  Any vision of Africa’s development is incomplete without a clear vision of the future of the African media. The media as a core driver of change must be positioned today to play its role in achieving a greater future for Africa of tomorrow.
Focusing on the future is perhaps the most productive way of interrogating the past and the present. While we can do nothing about the past and very little about present, the future is still a domain over which we can exercise some power.

I recognize that the desire to achieve a better future is also in a way, a critique of the present, and perhaps, the past. Therefore, it is my hope that this Forum will provide the opportunity for a critical assessment of the media in Africa and the role they can play in fashioning the future for Africa.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I have the honour to declare this Forum open.

Thank you.