The President of the African Development Bank (AFDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has charged the Media to change the prevailing narrative surrounding Africa’s portrayal in the global media landscape.

Adesina who made the remark, at the allAfrica Media Leaders Summit in Nairobi, Kenya with the theme “Re-engineering Africa Media in Times of Critical Transformation,” underscored the need for a more balanced representation of Africa’s news, as he lamented the prevalence of negative reporting and underreporting of Africa’s positive developments.

Adesina noted the detrimental effects of these skewed narratives, including the marginalization of Africa’s achievements, discouragement of Foreign Direct Investment, Negative portrayal of youths, amongst others.

While he proposed concrete measures to address the imbalance in media representation of Africa, Adesina called for increased investment in African media institutions, advocating for the establishment of a credible African media platform supported by financial institutions to amplify Africa’s voice on the global stage.

Acknowledged the evolving media landscape driven by technological advancements, the AFDB boss underscored the proliferation of digital platforms and the rise of social media as influential channels for disseminating news, urging media professionals to leverage these tools responsibly.

Furthermore, Adesina called for more recognition and reward of journalistic excellence in reporting African stories, also announcing plans to establish the Annual African Media Prize to honor journalists, correspondents, and media houses promoting positive narratives about Africa.

As Africa prepares to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the African Development Bank at the upcoming 59th African Summit, Adesina rallied stakeholders to join forces in reshaping Africa’s narrative.

“Together, let’s continue to promote Africa,” he concluded, urging collective action towards fostering a more accurate and inclusive portrayal of the continent.