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From: "Mikenga, S." mikenga [at] cta [dot] int
Subject: [ctaseminar2009] Africa Media Experts
Planning meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, 28 June - 2 July 2010

For immediate release

PRESS RELEASE

Africa Media Experts Meet to Promote Agriculture and Rural Development

[Nairobi, Kenya, 2 July 2010] Forty media experts
from 17 countries in Africa gathered in Nairobi,
Kenya from June 30 to July 2, 2010, to discuss
how media can play a greater role in the
promotion of agriculture and rural development in Africa.

The meeting, which was organized by the ACP/EU
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural
Cooperation (CTA), in conjunction with The World
Agro forestry Centre (ICRAF), based in Nairobi,
came up with a strategic framework for
implementation of media programs in Africa.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Dr Wilson
Songa, the Agricultural Secretary at the Kenya
Ministry of Agriculture, and CTA Executive Board
Member said that Â"media is a strong catalyst in
the promotion of agricultural and rural
development and it is important for various
stakeholders to meet and discuss how to harness
the media potential and synergies in Africa in
order to realise sustainable development and
improve the quality of lives in Africa.Â"

Most people in Africa are poor, in rural areas
and depend mainly on agriculture for incomes,
food and other needs and the media plays an
important role in providing information that
empowers their decision making processes,Â" he added.

In addition to media experts, the meeting
attracted other actors at the interface of media,
agriculture and rural development such as
academics, researchers, scientists, farmer
groups, and policy makers, regional and national
institutions from West, Central, East and Southern Africa.

Â"Media is central to CTA activities and this
meeting could not have come at a better time,
when we are revisiting our strategy to deliver
products and services that respond to the current
and future needs and challengesÂ", said Mr Michael
Hailu, the newly appointed CTA Director.

In our new strategy, we aim to strengthen
partnerships, build on our comparative advantage,
improve efficiency, and be responsive to stakeholders needsÂ", he added

The experts discussed the media scenario in
Africa, possible intervention areas, resources
needed, relevant linkages, partnerships, and
synergies, among others. They also discussed
ways of bridging the gap between media and agriculture

Professor August Temu, who spoke on behalf of Dr
Dennis Garrity Director General ICRAF, said that
ICRAF as a research centre is fully supportive of
the initiative to strategize agricultural communication.

Â"While institutions such as the ICRAF rely on the
media for dissemination, we also have a
responsibility to take the media with us on this
journey and provide training and support so that
they can fully understand the issues and how we are tackling them,Â" he said.

The meeting came up with an operational framework
to guide relevant and appropriate priority
interventions by various actors, including
CTA. Participants emphasized the need to
strengthen capacity of both scientists and
journalists in the communication of scientific
issues, forge strategic partnerships, and support
regional communication initiatives. The experts
resolved to use media and scientific knowledge to
improve the image of agriculture in society, and
influence agricultural policies, and farmer practices and innovation.

The Nairobi meeting was a follow up on the
recommendations of the CTA Media Seminar that
took place in October 2009, in Brussels,
Belgium. The meeting is also one of a series of
consultative regional meetings with stakeholders
that CTA is carrying out. The first such
workshop was carried out in Fiji, the Pacific in May 2010.

Ends

About CTA
At CTA, our goal is to improve rural livelihoods
and advance agricultural knowledge and skills in
Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific
(ACP). With the help of our extensive network of
partners, we reach out to all those in
agriculture and rural development. Together we
produce, distribute and exchange essential
knowledge and information. Whether it is books,
magazines and multimedia resources, or the
opportunity to come together to share know-how
and experiences through workshops, seminars and
training, CTA provides tools for a more sustainable future.
The Centre was established in 1983 under the Lomé
Convention between the ACP (African, Caribbean
and Pacific) Group of States and the European
Union Member States. Since 2000, it has operated
within the framework of the ACP-EC Cotonou
Agreement. For more information, visit: www.cta.int

About the World Agroforestry Centre
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, the World Agroforestry
Centre is the worldÂ's leading research
institution on the diverse role trees play in
agricultural landscapes and rural livelihoods.
As part of its work to bring tree-based solutions
to bear on poverty and environmental problems,
centre researchers – working in close
collaboration with national partners – have
developed new technologies, tools and policy
recommendations for increased food security and
ecosystem health. For more information, visit www.worldagroforestry.org.

For more information, please contact:
CTA
Samuel Mikenga
Tel: +31 616198711/+31 317 467101
Email: mike [at] cta [dot] int

Samuel Mikenga
Programme Coordinator, Media
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EU (CTA)
P.O. Box 380, NL 6700AJ Wageningen, The Netherlands (ordinary mail deliveries)
Agro Business Park 2, NL 6708PW Wageningen, The
Netherlands (courier deliveries)

Phone: +31 (0)317 467101 (direct); Fax: +31
(0)317 460067; Skype: samuelmikenga;
E-mail: mikenga [at] cta [dot] int; Website: www.cta.int; Location Map: click here

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