Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 21 October
The Ethiopian Media Women Association (EMWA), with support from Fojo Media Institute, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three independent media houses: Wazema Radio, Ahadu Radio & TV and Capital Newspaper, today at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Addis Ababa, committing to develop a gender policy.
The agreement marks an important step toward promoting gender equality and creating a safe, inclusive working environment for women journalists in Ethiopia. Through the MoU, these media houses have committed to developing their own gender policies with technical support from EMWA.
“This is a big milestone for us,” said Meseret Kebede, Directress of EMWA. “For too long, women journalists have worked in environments without protection or support. Now, with the help of Fojo, we are hopeful that more media organisations will adopt policies that allow women to thrive in the profession.”
Last year, EMWA conducted a rapid assessment of Ethiopian media houses and found that only one (Oromia Broadcasting Network, OBN) had a gender policy in place. To deepen the understanding, Fojo commissioned Dr Yemisi Akinbobola, Associate Professor at Birmingham City University and co-founder of AWIM, to run a gender barrier study which included interviews with over 100 women journalists. The findings confirmed a widespread lack of gender policies and other formal structures to support gender inclusion and safety in media workplaces.
To address this gap, EMWA will support media houses to draft and implement their gender policies.
“We are proud to support this important initiative”, said Carl-Magnus Höglund, Programme Manager Ethiopia at Fojo Media Institute. “Promoting gender equality is not just about better working conditions for women – it’s about quality journalism. Feeling safe in the newsroom is a prerequisite for high-quality journalism.”
The Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) has also joined the effort and pledged to monitor progress across the sector.
“EMA is fully behind this initiative,” said Dureti Tadesse, EMA’s Women and Social Affairs director. “We want to see a stronger, more inclusive media sector. Supporting the development of gender policies is a step in the right direction.”
This pilot project will serve as a model for other media organisations across Ethiopia.
About the Project
This initiative is part of a broader effort by EMWA and Fojo Media Institute’s Ethiopia programme, funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Ethiopia to promote gender equality in Ethiopian media. By working with media houses and government partners, the project aims to build safer, more inclusive workplaces for all journalists.