Nation Media Group Managing Editor Pamella Sittoni is among speakers from the media set for this year’s Bloomberg Africa Business Media Innovators (ABMI) forum in South Africa.

Media, business, government, technology, and community leaders from within and without Africa will converge in Cape Town for the annual forum slated on October 30 - November 1.

Bloomberg Media CEO Scott Havens and Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Matthew Winkler and Bloomberg Corporate Philanthropy Middle East and Africa Erana Stennett will co-host the event.

ABMI was first held in South Africa in 2015 and makes a comeback to the country this year as it also resumes in-person meetings for the first time since 2019 before the pandemic.

Previous forums were held in Senegal (2019), Zambia (2018), Ghana (2017), Kenya (2016), South Africa (2015) and the virtual ‘ABMI Chats’ series that was held in 2020 and 2021.

Read More

  1. Standard Group board appoints acting CEO as it accepts Lyomu's resignation
  2. Standard Group CEO Orlando Lyomu resigns amid gleaming hope of revival
  3. Former KBC sports editor and anchor Fred Nyongesa dies in Bungoma

The forum will delve into the state of the media, innovative business solutions and hurdles shaping the future of media and journalism, especially in the face of digital disruption.

“Against the backdrop of a fragmented global media landscape and challenges to business models at both a local and global level, this forum provides an opportunity for fresh approaches, ideas and solutions to building sustainable media business models in Africa and beyond,” said Havens.

“ABMI comes at a time of growing optimism around Africa’s economic potential and aims to act as a platform for action to catalyse investment, growth, and development by contributing to the strengthening of business and financial reporting on the continent,” noted Winkler.

Those in attendance will explore the impact of new technologies, AI, and the future of work in newsrooms, sustainability of legacy media in Africa amid increased global competition.

Forum Speakers:

• Pamella Sittoni, Executive Editor and Managing Editor, The Nation Media Group

• Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO, Big Cabal,

• Styli Charalambous, CEO, Daily Maverick,

• Paul Cheung, Chief Executive Officer, The Center for Public Integrity

• Thembisa Faukude, CEO, Mail & Guardian

• Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director, and Chief Curator, Zeitz MOCCAA

• Prof. Lesley Lokko, Founder, African Futures Institute

• Nyimpini Mabunda, CEO, General Electric Southern Africa

• Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director, Africa and the Middle East, Spotify

• Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa, Co-Founder and CEO, Rappler

• Monde Twala, Senior Vice President & GM Paramount Africa & Lead BET International, Paramount International

The forum is a component of the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa (BMIA) program launched by Michael R. Bloomberg in 2014 to advance business journalism in Africa.

It also accelerates growth of a globally competitive media and financial reporting, delivers programs and mid-career fellowships, backs research to stimulate new media innovations.

The program also seeks to convene leaders to foster dialogue and build strong relationships to boost the quality of financial coverage and avail reliable and timely data on the continent.

Earlier in October, Bloomberg expanded its executive education program in business and financial journalism, BMIA Financial Journalism Training (FJT), to Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal.

The move followed the success of FJT program in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria and South Africa after reaching 800 participants from 16 countries across the continent.