Fojo and its local partner PAX PRESS just launched one of the most ambitious media capacity building projects ever in Rwanda. The project is designed to enhance media management and media professionalism for private and non-profit media companies in the country and involves 36 media houses and a mentorship program with mentors from the region.
From the wide field of applicants, 11 media houses were selected for the two year long project of the Rwanda Media Programme. A further 25 media houses will get a more limited version of the capacity building project.
On 28 April they met in Kigali for the first training module. The project will be capacitating private and non-profit media companies to become independent and financially viable, so that they can continue to serve their respective target communities in Rwanda.
“This program is unlike any other. We believe that the knowledge we will gain will provide us with the skills needed to strengthen our work and become a very professional media house”, says Claudine Mahoro, Radio Station Manager at Radio10.
The participants will receive training in corporate media strategy and planning, using audience research and data in business development, management and sustainability, advertising and sales, setting the journalistic agenda in enhancing and diversifying content and much more.
The project is a central part of the Rwanda Media Programme, which runs from 2021-2026 and is implemented by Fojo Media Institute and SRMDO (Swedish Radio Media Development Office), with the support from the Swedish and Swiss Embassies in Kigali.
The training sessions are complemented by in-house projects in the individual participating media houses under the guidance of experienced international media advisors and mentors. Both trainers and mentors on the program are media professionals with practical experience from media in the leading media markets of Sub-Saharan Africa. The good practice examples that they will be presented with will also be coming from the region itself.
“I hope that a program like this will help Rwanda’s media sector in becoming more professional. The knowledge provided will assist the industry in broadening its approaches and make profit from numerous opportunities available”, concludes Claudine Mahoro from Radio10.”