'Independent media institutions, public service broadcasters, civil society and the private sector, with support from governments, should form a consortium of partners, in Africa and outside, to provide funds and expertise to create an African media development facility.'

'Our Common Interest' - Report of the Commission for Africa, April 2005

Africa is undergoing a rapid process of economic and social change. The African Union's New Programme for Africa's Development (NEPAD) identifies the media as an important component of this, and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) includes media freedom as a key political governance indicator.

During 2005, the BBC World Service Trust, with support from the UK's Department for International Development, coordinated input from the African and international media development community to the Commission for Africa.

The Commission report "Our Common Interest" highlighted the critical role of the media in creating government transparency, internal accountability and greater responsiveness, as well as recommending that this be addressed through the establishment of an 'African media development facility' to boost support for the sector.



The key consensus reached was that work to strengthen the capacity of the media in Africa needed to be more long term and strategic, and better tailored to local needs.

There was also a clear appetite for a collaborative approach between African practitioners and some of the world's leading media organisations to achieve these objectives.

The African Media Development Initiative (AMDI) was set up to establish how best to achieve these goals.

AMDI was launched by the BBC World Service Trust in January 2006, in collaboration with DfID and the United Economic Commission for Africa, as an inclusive and open process which aimed to mobilise a range of African and international stakeholders to significantly boost support for the development of the state, public and private sector media.