Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) is a Media Development Organization that provides professional support to journalists and supports sustainable development initiatives.
It was founded in May 2014 with the vision of creating a just and informed society ushered in by free media, communication and knowledge sharing. Its mission is to support media, promote democracy and improve livelihood.
Over the years, we have trained journalists to ensure better outcomes in various sectors in Nigeria, including governance, health, education, environment, peace and SGBV.
The impact of the various pieces of training has been huge in terms of the in-depth and well-informed reports from participant journalists, some of which have drawn the attention and action of the government to issues raised, and some have attracted interventions from philanthropists and politicians.
AMDF also has dedicated activities focusing on Women in Media, Media Executives, and News Editors.
FOCUS/MAJOR ACTIVITIES
PRESS FREEDOM: we have a dedicated desk that tracks and documents press freedom violation cases in Africa. All verified cases are published on our press freedom website https://pressfreedomafrica.amdf-centre.org/. The desk is responsible for advocating press freedom and providing support to oppressed journalists where possible.
AFRICAN JOURNALISTS NETWORK (AJN): the AJN desk was created to serve as a forum to bring together (in a virtual form) professional journalists in Africa to interact and build professional relationships. So far, it has a dedicated website (https://ajn.amdf-centre.org) and a Facebook Group that publish relevant opportunities like story grants, journalism workshops, conferences and other training.
MEDIA CLINIC: AMDF hosts an annual event tagged Media Clinic, where reporters, producers, presenters, editors, media managers, media executives and CSOs meet to discuss and set agenda on trending issues in the media. This has drawn speakers and participants from other African countries.
KALTHO ANNUAL MEDIA LECTURE: annually, we hold the Bagauda Kaltho Media Lecture, named after a Nigerian Journalist who went missing in 1996 as a result of his journalistic work, highlighting various media issues and challenges faced by journalists in Africa. These series have awakened discussions on the disappearance of Bagauda Kaltho and the need for justice.
JOURNALISM CONFERENCE: the Africa Conference on Development Journalism (#ACDJ) is an annual gathering of journalists, media executives, academics, media development organisations, donor partners and CSOs, to discuss development journalism and SDGs, among others. It is also meant to create a community of learning that will support the growth of Development Journalism in Africa. AMDF uses the conference to present awards to journalists that distinguish themselves through the production of in-depth journalism work
We have also supported non-journalism-based activities, among them;
In 2018/2019, with support from Rise Up (a project of the Public Health Institute of John Hopkins University), AMDF supported the Kaduna state government in developing a policy and implementation framework for girls’ education in public secondary schools in the state.
Also, in 2021/2022, with support from the same funder, we implemented a project that advocated the enforcement of the VAPP law, which deepened the prevention of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in 12 communities of Kaduna State.