Media development in Africa – opportunities and challenges beyond clichés

Three experts in communication and media development give us an insight into their work in Africa: Annedore Smith has supervised numerous projects in Africa over the past decades, focusing on training journalists, developing media projects for NGOs and optimising the public relations work of peace movement organisations. The projects of the Deutsche Welle Academy, whose media development is headed by Natascha Schwanke, include advising traditional media, community radio stations and bloggers in 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Her work focuses on strengthening high-quality, free media and the sustainable professionalisation of training structures for media professionals. At the political level, they advise government agencies and non-governmental organisations. Their goal: to strengthen media literacy, especially among young people. Esther Tuyishimire studies mass media at Mount Kenya University with a focus on journalism and started using digital tools early on to contribute to the media development in her home country.

Natascha Schwanke is deputy director of the Deutsche Welle Academy. She is responsible for international media development. The DW Academy is involved in projects promoting media freedom and freedom of expression in more than 70 countries. Natascha Schwanke studied journalism at the University of Dortmund, completed an internship at Westdeutscher Rundfunk and then worked for many years as an editor and reporter, mainly for radio and TV formats on public broadcasters. She stands for: #creative solutions, #journalistic craftsmanship, #international cooperation.

Annedore Smith is a journalist, international media consultant and trainer. She was a radio editor at the BBC’s German service in London for twelve years and an international editor at the AP news agency in Frankfurt am Main for 18 years. Since 2010, she has been working in international development cooperation, mainly as a consultant for communication and organisational development at non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in southern and eastern Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Uganda. Using a handbook she developed herself, Annedore Smith raises awareness among local NGOs of the importance of effective public relations work, in which journalistic criteria play a decisive role. When she is not travelling, she lives in Frankfurt am Main.

Esther Tuyishimire entered the media world via Instagram, where she launched a Rwandan pop culture channel during high school. Within two years, it reached 50,000 followers and several viral hits with more than 100.000 views. She eventually sold the channel. At the moment, she is studying Mass Media and Communication at Mount Kenya University Rwanda with a focus on journalism. As president of the gender club, she organized trainings on gender equality and received a university award in 2024. She contributed to the digital strategy of Care & Help, a Rwandan NGO. A stay in Uganda further deepened her view on media practices beyond her home country, giving her a broad understanding of East Africa’s evolving media landscape. Esther is currently participating in a language exchange program in the Rhine-Main region and is open to media-related professional opportunities. 

The event will be held in English.

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