AFRICA

FMA media professional shortlist announced

The Festival of Media has announced its shortlisted nominees for the new Media Professional of the Year award. The nominees' profiles will be presented to the jury of the 2010 Festival of Media Awards, who will select the winner to be announced at the Festival of Media in Valencia in April this year. Read more >>

EAST AFRICA

Ethiopia: SEACOM connects ETC with international broadband

SEACOM, the privately funded and over three quarter African-owned submarine fibre optic cable system, has been awarded an agreement to supply Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) with international broadband fibre connectivity via a backhaul link through Djibouti. Read more >>

NORTH AFRICA

IPS Africa hosts training for Sudanese journalists

IPS Africa, with support from the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, hosted a training workshop for South Sudanese print, radio and television journalists in Nairobi (Kenya) during 15 - 17 March 2010, to critically examine the role and responsibility of the media during elections reporting. Read more >>

UGANDA

Domestic technology magazines hit Uganda shelves

[Walter Wafula] In line with the digital times, Uganda's publishers have added two technology magazines to their market venturing into a niche that had remained untapped for a long time. Read more >>

NORTH AFRICA

Alek Wek, cover-girl on ELLE birthday issue

Sudanese supermodel, Alek Wek will feature on the cover of the April 2010 issue of South Africa's ELLE magazine, celebratng its 14th birthday with an interview with the international star. The shoot took place in South Africa with Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani. Read more >>

UGANDA

IPI - Ugandan Media Bill not up to standard

KAMPALA: The International Press Institute (IPI) believes the amendment to the Ugandan Press and Journalist Law presently before the Ugandan cabinet contains a number of troubling provisions that, if made into law, would severely inhibit the media environment and do considerable damage to the reputation of Uganda in the eyes of the international community. Read more >>

ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe to change media law

Zimbabwe has vowed to repeal and amend its contentious media and security legislation by the end of 2010, according to an official document. News agency Reuters reported seeing a government document on Monday, 22 March 2010, that revealed that the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act - which bans foreign journalists from working permanently in the country - will be repealed. Read more >>

MALAWI

Malawian journalists win regional awards

[Gregory Gondwe] Two journalists from Malawi's Blantyre Newspapers Limited (BNL), publishers of The Daily Times, Weekend Times, Malawi News and Sunday Times have won regional awards on stories that tackled issues of poverty, food security and social protection. The Southern African competition was organised by the Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP). Read more >>

ZIMBABWE

MTN signs confidentiality agreement with Zim operator

[Dumisani Ndlela] MTN, has signed a confidentiality agreement with Zim state-owned cellular network, NetOne, as the South Africa-based mobile company moved closer to acquiring a key stake in the Zimbabwean company. Sources in Harare said MTN had wound up its due diligence on NetOne and was expected to place its final bid soon. Read more >>

AFRICA

MTN Business appoints GM for African expansion

JOHANNESBURG: MTN Business, the wholly-owned division of MTN SA, has announced the recent appointment of Johnny Aucamp to general manager for strategic relations and business development in Africa. Read more >>

AFRICA

SABC screens ten southern African love stories

Love - Stories in a time of HIV & AIDS is a series of 10 half-hour short films from 10 countries in southern Africa that aim to explore the facets of love. The series will be broadcast on Wednesdays from 24 March 2010 on SABC1 at 8.30pm. Read more >>

AFRICA

UNEP's ACAD appoints africapractice

JOHANNESBURG: africapractice, a pan-African strategic communications and environmental consultancy has been appointed to support the roll-out and communications for the Africa Carbon Asset Development (ACAD) Facility. Read more >>

ZIMBABWE

Zim: Newspapers grow, state TV declines, satellite surges

[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwe's newspaper market chalked up favourable gains during the 12 months to 31 December 2009, but the state-owned television continued to sing the blues as viewers trooped to satellite television. Read more >>

AFRICA

Sub-Saharan Africa For Women in Science fellows chosen

The innaugural L'Oréal and UNESCO Regional Fellowships for Women in Science in sub-Saharan Africa will be awarded this year at a public ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa on 30 March 2010. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA

AdExpo opens with a bang - CADEK Media

The Mega Media AdExpo has opened its doors and will run until Thursday, 25 March 2010 at the Sandton Convention Centre. AdExpo offers two conference areas where more than 31 speakers will address visitors on topics ranging from branding in Africa to PR and social media. Read more >>