The media owners and operators are meeting in Yaoundé for the third African Media Leaders Forum.

Some 271 media leaders and proprietors, bankers and representatives of banking institutions in African continent are meeting in Yaoundé for the Third African Media Leaders Forum, aimed at looking at ways to develop some platform and modules of funding and business accountability. The forum is taking place under the theme “Funding African Media in an Age of Uncertain Business Models.”

Cameroon’s Minister of Communications, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, in his key note address said media practitioners should use their words and images not to destroy but to consolidate peace, stability and enhance development in the continent. With over 600 newspapers in the country, 100 radio stations and 100 television channels, Issa Tchiroma said press freedom is a reality in Cameroon and needs to be supported. He further promised government’s full support to AMLF’s common purpose of creating a networking opportunity to upholding the highest standards of ethics, fairness and objectivity.

Alfred E. Opubor, Secretary General of the West African New Media and Development Centre, the African media is theoretically free based on the constitutions of most countries but lack reality because of the immaturity of political leadership. “Ministers and politicians should not see the press as an enemy to progress but as partners. The struggle in Africa today for freedom of expression is to get our politicians and even our business people to understand that a free environment for communication is a good thing for economic development,” he underlined.

Participants believe that moving the African media to another level, based on the understanding of the common challenges that face the African media like ethics and the lack of finances is doable. Focus in the two-day forum is to fine-tune ways of getting the media in Africa to define and accept a set of values which will make them relevant leaders for the transformation of the economic, social and political life of nations. Amadou Martar Ba, Chief Executive Officer of the African Media Initiative, media leaders are committed to the progress of our societies and their resolute need to work together is a way of moving the continent forward. Colins Ebarko Mukete, Chairman, spectrum Media Group, host AMLF 2010 said access to funding is one of the core challenges facing many media the need to reverse the trend is primary.

Topics being discussed in the forum include, “Exploring Opportunities in the African media,” Funding the African media: Understanding the financial sectors approach to funding media: How to bring down the barriers to access to capital and promote media as a growth sector,” Reality check: Gatekeeper versus Networker Journalism. The principles of Journalism in the 21st Century and who can claim to be Journalism today What are the Possible Business models for those principles of journalism?” and “Press Freedom and Professional Standards: Are Low Journalism Standards Feeding into the Threat Against Media Freedom How Can Media Owners and Operators help improve Media Freedom in Africa.”