Regional media challenged on regional integration

By David Lumu and Raymond Baguma   
                               
The Secretary General of the East African Community Dr. Richard Sezibera has challenged media in the region to play an active role in promoting the regional integration agenda.

He was presenting the region’s vision on the media and the regional integration process during the sixth East African media summit held at Imperial Royale Hotel. The summit organized by the EAC secretariat and the East African Business Council (EABC) and was held under the theme, “taking EAC agenda to the people: enhancing media knowledge and participation.

Veteran journalist Onyango Obbo and Robert Kabushenga at the 6th East African Media Summit at Imperial Royale on Thursday
 

Dr. Sezibera asked journalists not to simply report news; but to shape public opinion, as well as point out pitfalls and policy gaps in the integration process.

He challenged the private media as well as government-owned media houses to offer adequate time and space to issues of regional integration, making deliberate efforts to nurture the East African identity in the people and explaining complexities in the integration process.

In attendance were media owners, chief executives and practitioners from the 5 EAC member states. They discussed regional integration and media’s role in promoting it as well as collaborating with EAC and EABC.

During a session on “how best can the media tell the East African story,” which was chaired by Vision Group Editor-In-Chief, Barbra Kaija, media owners rallied journalists to drive the federation agenda by writing stories that shape the ideology of the East African Community.

“When the Chinese wanted the China story to be told, they did so many China tours. We need to see such trips in the East African Community,” Kaija said.

One of the panalists Andrew Mwenda at the 6th EA Media Summit at Imperial Royale on Thursday 28 November 2013

Media analyst, Charles Onyango Obbo, urged journalists in the region to critically assess the data on a number of activities within the region so that they can generate debate on issues outside the normal political reporting about the federation.

Uganda’s minister for East African Community Affairs Shem Bageine said the regional integration process is entering a critical phase and its success is hinged on mobilization and involvement of the citizens, which can effectively be done by the media.  He cited the conclusion of negotiations on the monetary union protocol, the draft protocol on good governance and a regional plan to combat corruption.

Bageine said that there is need for laws in the EAC member countries to guarantee freedom of the press and expression as well as promote a safe working environment for journalists.

Former EAC secretary General, Amanya Mushega, advised media owners to focus on the small issues such as the quality of life of the citizens in the EAC because the federation is not a matter of “life and death”.

During the meeting, media owners discussed a proposal to establish a regional advocacy body to bring together practitioners in the region to negotiate and advance their interests in the integration process. The participants suggested names for the proposed body to be referred to as the East African Media Council, or East African Media Society, or East African Media Forum.

The summit also kick-started a process to establish a regulatory body to make policies and safeguard media freedom, establish rules and standards for the media industry in the region.

Some of the participants at the EA Media summit at Imperial Royale hotel.

Robert Kabushega, the Vision Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and chairman of the organizing committee of the media forum said that discussions about the establishment of the EAC Media Advocacy Body and a regional regulatory body would be finalized today.

Bageine noted that while each EAC member state has a media regulator, it’s becoming increasingly necessary to have a regional organization to coordinate the media councils and handle cross boundary and crosscutting issues in partner states. He said that ministers responsible for public information and communication in the five member states will be incorporated onto the sectoral council of ministers responsible for EAC planning.

The two-day media summit is one of the events that have preceded the 15th ordinary summit of the EAC Heads of state where the five regional leaders are expected to sign the protocol leading to the creation of a monetary union.

There were also panel discussions from media managers such as Alex Asiimwe, the CEO of Monitor Publications Ltd, Andrew Mwenda, the CEO of the Independent Magazine and Cyprien Ndikumana, the Executive Director of PANOS Paris. The discussions covered topics about telling the East African story and how best media can do it, media as a business in East Africa and whether political federation can be achieved with competing national interests.

EA Media summit at Imperial Royale Hotel Thursday 28 November 2013

Tanzanian journalist and lawyer, Jenerali Ulimwengu called on the leaders in the EAC region to avoid “petty and tribal differences” so that they can implement the bigger objective of the federation.