IWD26: Give to gain: Strengthening African media through women’s leadership

By Jimmy Kutin

Each year, International Women’s Day invites societies, institutions, and communities to reflect on the place of women in public life. Across the world, the day has become an important moment for recognising achievement, examining persistent inequalities, and renewing commitments to inclusion.

This year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” offers a particularly useful lens through which to think about institutions. It suggests that when societies invest deliberately in the leadership and potential of women, the benefits extend well beyond individual careers. Institutions themselves often become stronger, more resilient, and better equipped to respond to change.

For those who have spent many years within the media industry, the theme carries particular relevance. African media is entering a new phase of transformation. Digital platforms continue to transform the way news is produced and distributed. Artificial intelligence is beginning to influence aspects of content creation and audience engagement. Meanwhile, traditional advertising models are under pressure, while audiences increasingly expect speed, depth, and credibility from the institutions that inform them.

Periods of change place particular demands on leadership. Media organisations navigating technological disruption and economic pressure must draw on the broadest range of insight and experience. Across many parts of the industry, however, the structure of leadership has not always kept pace with the diversity of talent already present within newsrooms and broadcast institutions.

On radio, television, in newspapers, and on digital platforms, women have become an increasingly visible and influential presence in the daily work of journalism. They anchor news bulletins, report on major national events, produce documentaries, edit stories, and make significant contributions to shaping public discourse. Their professional contribution to journalism across the continent is widely recognised.

Research into media leadership, however, suggests that representation at the highest levels of decision-making remains uneven. The 2024 WIN Leadership Mapping Report, produced by Women in News, a programme of the World Association of News Publishers, analysed leadership structures across 207 media organisations in 19 markets across Africa, the Arab region, and Southeast Asia. The report found that women occupy 24 per cent of top leadership roles overall. In editorial leadership, women hold 30 per cent of positions, while in business leadership roles such as chief executive and board chair, they account for 18 per cent.

The issue, therefore, is not simply one of participation in journalism. It concerns participation in institutional authority. This distinction is important. The African media landscape does not lack capable women with the experience and vision required for leadership. In fact, several examples across the continent demonstrate that women are already exercising leadership at the highest levels of the profession.

In Ghana, Beatrice Agyemang serves as Group Chief Executive Officer of Media General Ghana, one of the country’s most influential multimedia organisations. Her leadership extends beyond editorial oversight to encompass corporate governance and strategic management. Through her stewardship of a broadcast network that spans television, radio, and digital platforms, she represents a growing generation of women shaping the direction of major media institutions in Africa.

Elsewhere on the continent, similar examples continue to emerge. In South Sudan, Anna Nimiriano, Editor-in-Chief of the Juba Monitor, received the Women in News Editorial Leadership Award for Africa in 2019. The recognition highlights the role women continue to play in shaping editorial authority within challenging media environments.

In Somalia, Bilan Media, an all-women newsroom launched in 2022 with support from the United Nations Development Programme, has demonstrated how women journalists can exercise full editorial independence while bringing attention to social issues often overlooked in traditional reporting. In 2024, the initiative received international recognition through the One World Media Press Freedom Award, a distinction that highlights the growing influence of inclusive leadership in expanding the scope of journalism and bringing underrepresented issues into public debate.

These examples point to an important conclusion. The question facing African media is not whether women possess the ability to lead. Evidence of that leadership already exists across the continent in newsrooms, broadcast institutions, and media organisations of many kinds. The more pressing question is whether institutions are prepared to cultivate leadership pathways that allow such talent to shape the future direction of the industry.

If African media is to remain resilient in the decades ahead, leadership development must be approached not only as an internal organisational responsibility but also as an industry-wide policy question. A number of international and regional initiatives already provide training for journalists and media managers. Programmes such as the media leadership and management training offered by DW Akademie, the editorial fellowships and leadership programmes of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and professional development workshops organised through bodies such as the Ghana Journalists Association and the Media Foundation for West Africa have supported many professionals across the industry. The challenge lies in ensuring that leadership development becomes more systematically embedded within media institutions so that training connects meaningfully with promotion systems, executive responsibility, and long-term institutional renewal.

Within media organisations, leadership rarely develops through chance alone. Many professionals rise through years of newsroom experience, but few are deliberately prepared for the broader responsibilities of executive leadership. Institutions that wish to build stronger leadership capacity, therefore, need to identify promising professionals early and expose them to the strategic, managerial, and technological dimensions of modern media organisations.

Governance reforms can reinforce these efforts. Media organisations that maintain clear governance structures are often better positioned to nurture future leadership. For example, Nation Media Group has publicly described succession planning as a strategic priority at the board level, alongside a governance framework that covers talent development, and it also states that recruitment and promotions are merit-based. These choices matter because they create clearer pathways for leadership renewal, and they can widen opportunity when applied consistently. Visible appointments, including women serving in senior editorial roles within the Group, also point to the direction of travel in large African media houses.

Professional associations and journalism training institutions also have an important role to play. Leadership programmes that combine journalism, management, digital strategy, and media economics can help prepare experienced professionals for executive responsibility. When such initiatives are recognised and supported across the industry, they contribute to a broader leadership ecosystem that strengthens the resilience of media institutions.

The transformation now unfolding in global media will place considerable demands on leadership. Technological change continues to alter how information is produced, distributed, and consumed. Economic pressures are forcing organisations to rethink traditional business models. In addition, audiences expect journalism that remains credible, responsible, and reflective of the societies it serves.

Meeting these demands requires leadership that is broad in perspective and confident in its ability to adapt. Media institutions that cultivate leadership from the broadest range of talent are often better positioned to respond to change and maintain public trust. Research in organisational leadership shows that institutions drawing on diverse leadership perspectives tend to make stronger strategic decisions and respond more creatively during periods of disruption.

This is where the theme “Give to Gain” speaks directly to the future of the industry. When media organisations invest deliberately in developing leadership among women, they are not simply advancing an ideal of inclusion. They strengthen their capacity to respond to the structural changes already reshaping journalism.

International Women’s Day, therefore, offers media institutions an opportunity for reflection. It invites organisations to ask how leadership is nurtured within their structures and whether the pathways to authority truly reflect the range of talent already present in their newsrooms, studios, and corporate offices.

The future of African media will be shaped by the decisions institutions make today about innovation, governance, and leadership development. Institutions that draw on the full breadth of professional talent available within the industry strengthen not only individual careers but the resilience of journalism itself. By widening the circle of leadership, they gain the strength needed to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing media environment.

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