November 11, 2016/africapractice
Media visionaries from 11 nations to address issues of public data, data analysis, and media distribution
An influential group of media, technology and business leaders representing11countries – including nineAfrican nations, the USA and the UK – gather next week in Naivasha, Kenya for the second Bloomberg ‘Africa Business Media Innovators’ (ABMI) summit. Convened by Bloomberg and hosted by Justin Smith, CEO of Bloomberg Media, and Matthew Winkler, Co-Founder of Bloomberg News and Editor Emeritus, the summit will explore the role of data as a key driver of successful business and financial journalism and, in turn, of economic growth on the continent.
Commencing on Monday, November 14, the Bloomberg ABMI 2016 summit will bring together media owners, senior editors, investors, entrepreneurs, data and development expertsfrom Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, UK, and the USA.In a series of interactive discussions, presentations and interviews with media influencers, this year’s invitation-only gathering will explore how improved analysis of, access to, and distribution of public data will lead to stronger governments, better reporting, healthier businesses, and faster pathways to social and economic progress.
Matthew Winkler, Co-Founder of Bloomberg News and Editor Emeritus said: “Reliable, accessible data is essential to strong financial reporting and critical to driving inclusive and sustainable economic growth on the continent. It is encouraging to see industry peers from diverse nations and industriescoming together in recognition of the power of data to drive growth.”
In addition to attending panel discussions and presentations, speakers and participants will collaborate in cross-sector, interactive working sessions to develop new strategies for optimizing the success of Africa’s media industry. Speakers will include renowned voices from both the media sector and surrounding industries, including:
- Donald Kaberuka, former President of the African Development Bank
- Edward Boateng, Chairman, Global Media Alliance Group
- NunuNtshingila, Head of Africa, Facebook
- PaliLehohla, Statistician-General for Statistics, South Africa
- Solomon Assefa, Director, IBM Research- Africa
- Nathalie Delapalme, Executive Director, Research and Policy, Mo Ibrahim Foundation
- Sangu Delle, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Golden Palm Investments
- Rebecca Enonchong, Founder and CEO, AppsTech
- ChineduEcheruo, Founder, HopStop and Gigameet
- Catherine Gicheru, Country Lead, Code for Kenya
- Anne Githuku-Shongwe, Representative, South Africa Multi-Country Office, UN Women
- Tom Mshindi, Chief Operating Officer and Editor in Chief, Nation Media Group
- Joshua Mwaniki, Country Director, Kenya, Andela
- Khadija Patel, Editor, Mail & Guardian
- ShaileshPrakash, Chief Information Officer, The Washington Post
- Patrick Quarcoo, CEO, Radio Africa Group
Rosemary Okello-Orlale, Program Officer, Office for Eastern Africa, Ford Foundation said:“If used properly by key institutions and governments, quality, relevant, accessible and timely data has the power to help harness the informal economy that exists among African communities and change the narrative positioning Africa as the continent home to poverty. We see the use of data as critical to elevating the voices of poor and marginalized communities, helping to connect poverty to governance and decision-making processes and improving policies, programs and mutual accountability across the continent.”
The Bloomberg Africa Business Media Innovators Summit 2016 is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the Ford Foundation. It is a component of the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa (BMIA), a pan-African program launched by Michael R. Bloomberg in 2014 to strengthen media capacity, promote innovation in the sector and improve access to high-quality data and information on the continent. The aim of the BMIA is to enhance the contribution of the media to accountability, transparency and good governance.
Admittance to this event is on an invitation-only basis. For more information, please visit: http://www.bmia.org/innovators.
