AFRICA

1st African Broadcast and Film Conference
Just under half of the countries in Africa have liberalised their broadcast markets and there has been a considerable growth in the number of new television and radio stations. The final opening up by the rest of the countries on the continent promises the kind of growth that the mobile market has experienced over the next five years.

Dubai Lynx Festival 2008
The 2nd Dubai International Advertising Festival, incorporating the Dubai Lynx Awards, will take place 15-17 March 2009 at The Palladium, located in Dubai Media City. The festival is a creative advertising event and awards for the Middle East and North Africa.

SA to use Heritage Month to unite Africa
[Professor Ndawonde] Johannesburg: South Africa will, this year, use Heritage Month to create a stage for the African community to unite, celebrate and preserve Africa's indigenous cultures through traditional dance and music.

SOUTH AFRICA

‘Citizen journalism turns consumers into creators'
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Citizen journalism turns consumers into creators and takes media from lecture to conservation - something traditional media has not been able to do for a long time, Dan Gillmor, of Arizona State University, told over 700 media practitioners gathered in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, on Monday, 9 September 2008, for the 12th edition of Highway Africa.

Recent attacks on the media in West Africa
Paul Abayomi Ogundeji, an editorial board member of the Lagos-based daily ThisDay, was shot dead on 17 August 2008 in a Lagos suburb while driving home. Nigerian police say unidentified armed robbers who had earlier stolen another car ambushed and shot him, but his family and others suspect police involvement, says Media Rights Agenda (MRA).

EAST AFRICA

UNESCO helps Zanzibar build broadcasting policy
Members of the House of Representatives and media owners in Zanzibar had a chance to air their views on the draft of the new broadcasting policy for Zanzibar last August. Two consultation meetings were organised by the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar in co-operation with the UNESCO office in Dar es Salaam.

SOUTH AFRICA

‘Good old' Grahamstown welcomes Highway Africa 2008
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] It's Highway Africa time again and the little, old, and serene town of Grahamstown, 131km from Port-Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, has been ‘invaded' by more than 700 media practitioners from more than 40 African countries and other parts of the world, meeting here to discuss the burning issue of citizen journalism in today's fast-changing media environment. The conference opened today, Monday, 8 September 2008, at Rhodes University and will end on Wednesday.

CENTRAL AFRICA

4th gateway for Malawi amidst congestion problem
[Gregory Gondwe] Mobile phone network operator, Zain Malawi Limited on Thursday, 4 September 2008, commissioned its 4th media gateway in Blantyre amidst network congestion problems that has put off many subscribers.

Bidco brings Fortune to Ugandans
[Walter Wafula] Bidco, a major edible oil produced in Uganda has added Fortune to its product assortment, offering Ugandans more choice in the market. The unveiling of Fortune to Ugandans in Kampala was held on 6 September 2008.

Malawi: Real Insurance Company overwhelmed with response after IPO
[Gregory Gondwe] Real Insurance Company Limited was last Monday, 1 September 2008, overwhelmed with the response it got after its stocks went on market through an Initial Public Offer (IPO).

Can carbon trading spur growth?
Dakar: Hundreds attending the first all-African carbon forum agreed entrepreneurs in Africa need cash to break into the expanding international carbon emissions trading market.