The African Women in Media (AWiM) 2025 Conference (AWiM25) successfully convened over 300 participants for two dynamic days at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Held in partnership with the African Union’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD) and the Information and Communication Directorate (ICD), AWiM25 brought together media professionals, policymakers, academics, civil society organisations, and technology actors to advance dialogue and action on gender equality, youth empowerment, and the elimination of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in and through media.

Partners

• African Union Commission – Organising partner
• Ethiopian Airlines – Travel partner
• Ethiopian Skylight Hotel
• Luminate 
• GIZ
• MacArthur Foundation
• Fojo Media Institute
• the Ethiopia Media Women Association
• UNESCO
• MDIF
• WSCIJ
• The Global Forum for Media Development
• Wits Centre for Journalism
• Fana Broadcasting
• Capital Newspaper
• Wazema Radio
• Association of Media Women in Kenya
• The Reporter Newspaper
• Ahmara Media Corporate
• YNaija. 

Conference Focus

Through plenaries, panels, workshops, fireside chats, and networking sessions, participants explored:

• Strengthening gender-safe and youth-inclusive media and policy frameworks

• Addressing violence against women in media workplaces and representations

• The role of technology, AI, and digital platforms in shaping equitable narratives

• Promoting human rights through media, including AU-CEVAWG and the Kigali Declaration

Key Outcomes

AWiM25 resulted in:

• Concrete policy recommendations and an emerging accountability roadmap

• Stronger cross-sector collaboration among media, policy, and civil society actors

• Reinforced Communities of Practice (CoPs) committed to advancing change beyond the conference

Watch & Engage

Explore conference highlights, session recordings, and participant reactions including reflections from our Communities of Practice across AWiM’s social media platforms.

AWiM25 reaffirmed the importance of collective, feminist leadership in shaping accountable, inclusive, and future-ready media ecosystems across Africa.