The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has underscored the indispensable role of journalism in shaping the continent’s fast-evolving digital transformation.
Delivering his opening address at the 8th West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA 2025), Mr Braimah said the continent stands at the intersection of a digital revolution and a crucial responsibility to shape it for inclusive growth.
“We have met at a time when the continent is witnessing a digital revolution… Digital IDs, digital payment systems, and data exchange systems, collectively called digital public infrastructure, are fast becoming the foundations of modern economies,” he stated.
He explained that Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) represents the “highway upon which Africa’s next chapter of growth will travel”, offering immense potential to expand services, enable trade, and empower small businesses. However, he cautioned that technology alone is not a silver bullet.
“No matter how sophisticated a piece of technology is, it cannot be a driver of development if it is not accompanied by the fundamental essentials of trust, transparency, inclusion, privacy, and all other fundamentals of human rights,” he emphasised.
According to him, journalism plays a pivotal role in building this trust. Through scrutiny, transparency, and storytelling, journalists can make the “invisible visible” and give citizens the confidence to participate fully in digital ecosystems.
“This is where journalism and DPI converge,” he declared, adding that journalists must deepen their understanding of digital systems to properly scrutinise, explain, and shape them.
He called for courage, independence, and innovation from the media in the face of evolving technology and pressure from powerful interests. “We should imagine a future where journalists are partners in building digital public infrastructure and shedding light on the opportunities and flaws of DPI, ensuring that DPI truly serves the people,” he said.
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