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Funders'
assistance to the media in sub-Saharan Africa
Proceedings of the round-table meeting held in Brussels, 24 -
25 June 1996
1
- From Paris to Brussels
On 24 and
25 June 1966, the European Commission hosted the second round-table
of funders of the media in sub-Saharan Africa. There were nineteen
participants at the meeting, representing fifteen bilateral and
multilateral departments of cooperation and private foundations.
This second
round-table followed a previous meeting, on the same theme, which
had been organised in Paris from 11 to 13 December 1995, at the
initiative of the French department of cooperation. The Paris
meeting had had two objectives:
- enable
an initial exchange of information between funders on each others'
strategies and programmes;
- to study
the possibilities of dialogue and cooperation between funders.
The aim had
been to share information and insights, without seeking to define
"the" correct way of operating. Indeed, the diversity
of strategies and programmes is itself a valuable asset. The interest
in establishing a dialogue should not been seen in any way as
an attempt to coordinate foreign assistance on this topic.
The second
round-table in Brussels provided an opportunity for widening information
exchanges between funders on their activities, and to raise the
question of support to African television stations.
It opened
the possibility for a more serious discussion on three concrete
questions:
- an initial
review of support to the establishment of press centres;
- the setting
up of a database on training opportunities for professionals
in African media;
- the most
appropriate way of working which would meet the need for programmes
and - at the same time - strengthen local production.
Finally,
the Brussels round-table continued the discussions started in
Paris on the possible creation of an informal exchange network
and the establishment of a technical secretariat to facilitate
the flow of information and ideas.
2
- Funders' strategies: complementary approaches
At the first round-table meeting in Paris, two major approaches
in funder strategies had emerged:
- the first
was a straightforward support to the media as such. This aimed
at consolidating a sector which was vital to any nation state,
and which was seen also as playing a dynamic role in the economy,
especially in terms of job creation;
- the second
strategy regarded the media not as a sector as such, but as
a means to an end, in which they could help to create the processes
of social communication considered essential to a more participatory
and sustainable development. In this, the media were seen as
a means to disseminate information key to development, dealing
with financial, hygiene, social and technical issues.
As was shown
by the presentations of the European Union and IDRC, this broad
typology of strategies was also valid for the second round-table
meeting.
A typology
such as this can be useful for a better understanding of the different
approaches of funders. Given the operations of funders, however,
the reality is somewhat more complex and subtle. The actual work
of many funders combines elements of both approaches. In the cases
of Sweden and Finland, for example, the major objective of their
support to the media has been to provide support to democracy
and human rights, whilst still seeking to strengthen their involvement
in social communication.
This typology
then should not lead to a polarisation of the two approaches which
are, in fact, complementary and need to be better linked.
3
- Media and democracy: a still relative freedom
Recent years have seen the emergence of democracy in many
African countries. This has been witnessed by a proliferation
of independent media, whether in the private or voluntary sector
and even by changes in some public media under the pressure of
competition. Some media are in a precarious state: their quality
is mediocre, their sales low and their balance sheet shaky.
These trends
have led many funders to place greater emphasis on the training
of journalists, and on support to the organisation and (re-)structuring
of the overall sector (through professional associations, joint
services, and the legal and institutional frameworks).
These democratic
openings are still fragile and unfinished. Indeed, in some countries,
governments are seeking to regain greater control of the media.
In other countries, press freedom has never been established,
and action in the defence of the rights of the press and of journalists
still remains essential.
The precise
type of support to be prioritised (in protecting journalists'
rights and support to professionalisation and organisation in
the media sector) depends on the national context.
There is
a growing trend for development aid to be linked to respect for
democracy and human rights. Should press freedom not become part
of these conditionalities? Is the information provided by the
political leaders of aid agencies an adequate source in this respect?
4
- National television in Africa: a rude awakening, an uncertain
future
After having been lulled by their monopoly situation, national
television stations in Africa have been subjected to strong competition.
Broadcasting channels and satellite programmes have multiplied,
as have the satellite dishes to receive them in African towns
and cities. Private operators pick up these broadcasts and re-broadcast
them in coded form on either cable or microwave networks, and
earn their living from subscriptions. This is an active seller's
market, and the number of operators is sure to increase in the
years to come. Some of them supplement - or plan to supplement
- their foreign broadcasts with those of local channels using
local output made with compact, low-cost production units.
National
television stations have reacted in various ways to these trends.
Some have responded to the challenge, by opening up their programming
and raising the quality of their output (viz Burkina Faso and
Chad). Others (such as Niger, Madagascar and Benin) have lost
their audience share and their output has deteriorated.
The only
national television stations which will survive are those which
implement drastic, far-reaching changes, notably through:
- adapting
their programmes to the wishes of viewers;
- more rational
use of equipment and available skills and expertise;
- tighter
financial management;
- new ways
of broadcasting;
- asserting
their autonomy of political bodies in providing information
and not simply covering meetings opened by members of the government...
It is possible
for national television stations to survive, although perhaps
not in all cases. Despite the possibilities of cost reduction
which are offered by digital technologies, television is a costly
medium, given the very high costs of equipment and depreciation,
and the training of technical staff. One hour of production time
costs approximately FFR 1 million (160 KECU). There are serious
financial issues at stake, and there is no room for mistakes in
programming as far as advertising revenue is concerned. In Namibia,
for example, where there is a very tight media market, the screening
of the World Cup generated advertising revenue of FFR 150,000
in fifteen days.
Furthermore,
beyond the financial, technical and institutional issues, it is
at the level of political will on the part of the national powers-that-be
that the future of national television stations will be decided...
It costs no more to produce high quality local broadcasts than
to produce the current low quality output.
5
- Support to national television stations: some examples
Several funders provide direct support to national television
stations: the French department of cooperation, the Friedrich
Ebert Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation
and the Francophone Agency. Most of them have focussed their support
on national production and on the dissemination and exchange of
programmes.
The Francophone
Agency provides support to TV5 Afrique, and operates a support
fund for television production in the South. It also provides
modest material support (through the dissemination of cassettes)
and funds and organises training programmes.
The Friedrich
Ebert Foundation launched the Afrovision programme in 1991, which
exchanges programmes between eleven national television stations
in Africa. It also finances training, and steps towards new legal
and institutional frameworks.
The Rockefeller
Foundation support production through aiding scenarios, through
dissemination (meetings and exchanges), and through training.
The Ford
Foundation has embarked upon a massive programme, in joint North-South
production, of a series of broadcasts on the history of the African
continent.
By far the
most significant funder in this sector is the French department
of cooperation with an average annual investment of FFR 110 million
to African national television stations. It is the only department
of cooperation to have provided large-scale funding for materials
and equipment.
6
- New principles, new directions
Most funders are reviewing the impact of the approaches they
have adopted:
- in the
case of the French department of cooperation, their support
has allowed many national television stations to exist. However,
some significant funding has gone to national television stations
which are today moribund (as in the case of Niger, for example).
Most of the television stations find it hard to finance the
replacement of equipment previously provided...
- the Afrovision
programme of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation is only functioning
with difficulty: there are only eleven national television stations
involved; contributions from participants have dropped by one-third
in the last two years, and two-thirds of the remaining contributions
originate from stations in North Africa;
- the Francophone
Agency is seriously reviewing the value of providing training
to specialists who then move on to other posts. An evaluation
of the impact of their training programmes is underway. Since
the recent decision to charge national television stations for
the cost of shipping, the programme of dissemination of blank
cassettes has shrunk considerably.
The dual
factors of the disturbing situation of some national television
stations and the limited success of some of their approaches have
led several funders to reconsider their strategies: it is perhaps
not realistic to believe that all national television stations
will survive. Funder support, undoubtedly, will have to be more
elective and be based on the real intentions and skills of the
stations.
The proliferation
of private operators is leading to the need for new approaches:
to support production capacity in the private sector; to avoid
acts of piracy and to mitigate fierce competition with national
television stations; to define new, clear riles for the sector
and to help it to organise itself.
There are
changes in training: priorities are now linked to issues of re-organisation,
to key posts and to production, scripting and management...
Support for
production is a priority now, especially in enabling closer links
between film and television, and in promoting co-production, particularly
at regional level.
Finally,
support to television involves significant amounts of finance
and the need to avoid to errors. Whilst national television stations
do need support, an element of caution is advised. It can be said
that funders have a responsibility not to involve national television
stations in acquiring material and equipment which they will be
unable to replace or renew.
It is the
French department of cooperation, the major funder of national
television stations in West Africa, which has introduced the most
far-reaching changes in its approach in this sector. Emphasis
is now upon strengthening and consolidating production capacities
at the national level, and support to the re-structuring of the
sector. Support to material and equipment is now limited. The
mission of Canal France International (CFI) has been redefined,
whereby it reverts to the earlier role of being a pool of programmes
for national television stations and not a competing channel.
There is
considerable convergence among the funders as far as their thinking
is concerned about priorities for supporting national television
stations, but there is still some degree of duplication and competition.
This is the case, for example with the pool of programmes run
by CFI and exchange programmes such as those run by Afrovision.
The French department of cooperation and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation
are seeking to harmonise their approaches on this, by eliminating
duplication on monitoring, dissemination agreements, etc.
7
- Can television be a tool for social communication?
There have been very few satisfying results with the use of
television in disseminating messages about development, from the
point of view of cost, effectiveness and impact. A television
broadcast is fifty times more expensive than a radio broadcast.
There are
some very rare cases where community television stations have
played a clear role in social communication. In the Comoros, for
example, on the island of Anjouan, a local television station
has been set up with external aid. It provides a mixed output,
combining recasts of satellite broadcasts and local production,
including amateur video output. It has to be noted, furthermore,
that there is no national television in the Comoros.
All in all,
television would not appear to be the most appropriate medium
for social communication.
8
- Setting up press centres - to be continued
Several press centres have been established recently in Africa:
in Tanzania, in Ghana and in Burkina Faso, with the assistance
of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), using support
from the European Union; in Mali, with the assistance of Panos
and several funders; in Togo, with the support of the French department
of cooperation and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation...
These press
centres provide a range of joint services: documentation service,
subscriptions to press agencies; desk-top publishing facilities;
room hire... They also provide a meeting place for professional
associations to hold discussions and organise press clubs.
8.1 - A pole of dynamism, or just another body?
The provision of joint services in a press centre can serve
as a stimulus to encourage local professionals to work together.
It allows opportunities for exchange and enables new forms of
cooperation. Nonetheless, it raises a number of questions.
The totality
of the projects for press centres vary greatly in size and ambition.
However, they all have problems with the funding of their operational
costs and the costs of depreciation of their material. Is, then,
their range of services the correct one? What services do actually
properly match the real needs of the media? How viable are they?
Will they lead to improvements in the media sector? By offering
partially subsidised services (DTP, printing), do they not mean
unfair competition for the private sector?
Have some
press centres not been too heavily pushed by Northern agencies?
And just how deeply are the professionals involved?
The answers
to these questions vary from country to country. In Togo, for
example, the journalists themselves have raised the funds to pay
a year's rent for their press centre.
8.2 -
An interesting innovation requiring caution
The emergence
of press centres is a relevant one, but caution is called for,
in ensuring that projects stay on a realistic scale; tracking
and reviewing progress; properly assessing the viability as well
as the importance of the services they offer; measuring the involvement
of the professionals.
At the round-table there was a broad consensus between funders
on:
- better
coordination of dealing with new projects (for example, joint
action by the European Union, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation
and the French department of cooperation on the press centre
in Togo);
- identifying
and sharing information amongst funders on press centres: of
lists of projects and their costs, of descriptions of the services
provided by various centres, and of feasibility studies and
evaluations undertaken in this field;
- undertaking,
at an early opportunity, an evaluation of well-developed press
centre projects, possibly through co-funding;
- joint
discussion of the results of this evaluation
9
- How to avoid duplication and lack of focus in training programmes
There is
already a significant amount of training opportunities. Most funders
are keen to establish more structured programmes in the medium-term,
and no longer simply respond to the immediate training needs.
The mutual sharing of information is essential to avoid the organisation
of several courses at the same time, on the same topics, in the
same countries, with the same journalists...
Many funders
face the same difficulties in this respect:
It is hard
to select the 'right' trainees (those who have no already following
several training courses, and those in the right posts). Some
funders, such as the Swedish department of cooperation, have the
additional criteria of at least 30% of trainees being women.
There is
no system of information, either at a country level, and even
less at an international level, to describe previous courses,
their scope, and participants. This leads inevitably to duplication.
Few training
courses produce replicable course materials and training documents.
Identification
and selection of trainers is not always an easy task (due to lack
of information), in particular with African trainers.
The selection
of trainees should be improved by the establishment of a database
of African professionals who have followed training courses. This
is being compiled by the International Federation of Journalists
with finance from the European Commission.
At the round-table,
there was general agreement that an improvement in the sharing
of information between funders was essential for the provision
of training opportunities to be rationalised, and, hence, for
a greater impact. At the same time, it was felt important to avoid
setting up an over-ambitious system which, through its weight,
could lose its utility.
9.1 -
Information on courses, or on trainees?
A proper information facility would have to be based on a clear
definition of the nature of information to be covered, and of
how it could be shared simply and quickly.
One approach
would be to focus on information about courses being organised:
topic, country, date, with additional information about previous
and projected courses. Such a database could help course organisers
and planners to better focus their courses, and to examine the
possibilities of sharing or co-funding certain elements.
This database
should also comprise information about the organisers of training
courses and trainers (both in the North, and especially in the
South) and on training materials which have been produced.
Another approach
would be to use the current database of IFJ on trainees. This
would be slightly more ambitious and complex a task. Given that
African journalists have access to various training opportunities,
this database cannot be seen as fully exhaustive. Its central
function would be to facilitate the process of identification
and selection of trainees. It could also be used for compiling
and publishing professional directories.
9.2 -
Need to define the project
An information facility such as this poses several questions
about content, scope and use. What would be the most appropriate
mechanism to collect and disseminate information? Should it be
organised at national level or at international level, or both?
Who should have access to it? What would be the role of African
trainers and organisers in its development? What would be the
cost, and how should it be financed?
A small group
of funders (European Commission, World Bank, Swiss department
of cooperation, French department of cooperation and Unesco-PIDC)
will meet to discuss these questions and to develop a concrete
proposal.
10
- Balancing support to production and to programmes
Not all African media are able to produce all their programming
requirements, and have to have recourse to information from external
sources. As part of an approach to improve the medias' programming,
both qualitatively and quantitatively, some funders provide sound,
written and visual materials on a regular basis.
Thus CFI
(Canal France International) distributes programmes by satellite
to national television stations. The leading radio stations (Deutsche
Welle, RFI, Radio Nederland, BBC...) distribute both written and
sound material to radio stations in Africa.
Specialised
press agencies distribute feature articles, as in the case of
the Syfia agency which handles rural development.
Another type
of assistance to programming is provided by the various networks
for the exchange of programmes, such as the Afrovision mentioned
above, the exchange network in South Africa, the network run by
WACRB (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters), etc.
10.1 -
Substitute or stimulant?
Support to programming can have some perverse effects. The
receiving media can treat it as an easy option, and cut back on
their own production and increase their use of external programmes.
This is lower in cost, and easily resolves the problems of production.
It can be argued that the provision of programmes leads to African
media paying excessive attention to external information, whereas
the real problem is how to promote and diversify information about
local and national realities.
The risks
of such perverse effects have led some funders (Sweden, Switzerland,
Finland...) to provide support solely to local production, preferably
in national languages, and to provide no support to programming.
With some
conditions, the round-table felt, it is possible for programming
support and production product to be complementary and mutually
reinforcing, as shown by these basic principles:
- give preference
to semi-finished products rather than off-the-shelf products.
The provision of materials in "kit form" could act
as a stimulus to production;
- complement
the provision of programmes with support to local production,
through training, a support fund, co-production, and also through
the purchase and dissemination of materials produced locally:
as well as providing financial support, this would help to 'Africanise'
broadcasts;
- disseminate
programmes which have broad popular appeal, and even leave space
for commercial breaks. By providing external programmes in this
form, income can be generated with which national production
can be financed;
- make a
clear distinction between the dissemination of programmes produced
by African media and of those produced by international television
and radio stations which are aimed at African audiences. In
order to separate the two types of programmes, the French department
of cooperation has encrypted broadcasts by CFI for part of the
day. Its programmes are only accessible to national television
stations and no longer private operators or individual viewers.
11
- Continue to meet, as a network
The participants at the second round-table decide to create
an informal network of funders supporting media in Africa. This
network, which should be flexible in its organisation and its
operation, could work along the lines of the Bellagio Publishing
Network. This network, established in 1991, comprises funders
and other parties involved in support to publishing in Africa
(including the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and
the Nordic departments of cooperation). Links could be established
between the two networks.
Objectives of the Network
The "media network" would offer to funders:
- a regular
information exchange, and a dialogue on specific projects and
general approaches;
- information
on projects underway and, possibly, on their impact, thus enabling
all members of the group to benefit from each others' successes
and failures;
- a forum
for discussing strategies and sounding out ideas on new and
appropriate approaches. There is a shared conviction, evident
at the second round-table, to move away from the well-trodden
paths of media support.
Composition
and operation
The network would be composed of funders active in support to
media in Africa. Some bilateral departments of cooperation and
private foundations not attending the second round-table would
be invited to future meetings. It is felt that the group would
thus comprise about thirty members, and be able to function properly.
After an initial period of meeting every six months, the general
feeling is that "cruising speed" should be at the rate
of one meeting annually.
It was felt,
also, that an annual meeting should be held with the beneficiaries
and partners of funders. Specialised partners (trainers and organisers)
would also be invited to specific meetings in this series, depending
on the topic. At present, however, the priority is to consolidate
the group of funders, to strengthen the exchange of information
and expand the discussion on approaches.
12
- A light technical secretariat
The round-table accepted the terms of reference for a secretariat,
drafted by GRET . The idea of a rotating secretariat was not considered
appropriate, since the network needed to have an institutional
memory, with an good understanding of the relationships within
the network.
The secretariat
would provide services for all of the members of the network,
under whose control it would operate, providing three functions:
Providing information
The round-table felt that the main information needs were:
on
the development of the media sector in Africa (trends, important
events);
the activities and programmes of the various funders.
This information could be circulated as a fax-letter and as a
directory (with indexed descriptions of each funder, with summaries
grouped by type of activity and type of media).
This
information service would be complemented by provided a service
of customised, on-demand information in response to specific requests
by different members of the network.
Analysis
and working documents
fon trends in the media and in funder focus and support.
This would cover:
- drawing
attention to innovative approaches, and to evaluations and impact
studies of activities,
- preparing
network meetings with thematic documents;
Organising
network meetings
The topics to be covered should be decided by members of the
network. The secretariat would prepare the meetings, draw up and
disseminate preparatory papers, develop the meeting programme
and organise its logistics.
In addition,
if required by members of the network, the secretariat could play
the role of "facilitator" in setting up selected joint
activities.
12.1 -
Human resources and operating costs
The round-table invited GRET to draw up a budget for the
operation of a secretariat under its auspices for a period of
three years. It was felt that the funders who would be a priori
susceptible to providing finance would be the Rockefeller Foundation,
the French department of cooperation, the Francophone Agency,
the World Bank and the Swiss department of cooperation.
The working
languages of the network would be French and English.
12.2 -
Une troisième réunion en mars 1997
The third round-table meeting will cover the following topics:
- the place
and role of various media as tools for social communication;
- access
to information sources: news agencies, specialised press agencies,
role of new information and communication technologies;
- the financial
viability of various media.
The Rockefeller
Foundation suggested that it might be possible to make its Bellagio
meeting facility in Italy available for the network to organise
its next meeting, in March 1997. It was necessary to confirm when
the facility was actually available, and to ascertain the possibilities
of providing simultaneous interpretation.
Annex
1: Cooperation for development - new issues, new constraints
After thirty years of international cooperation and aid for
development, and its series of success of failures, most funders
and donor agencies are seriously reviewing their policies. This
process is all the more called for given the changes in the overall
international context.
The limitations
of the statal model of development strategies have become clear.
Funds made available for development cooperation are shrinking,
and are subject to
rigorous
control of effectiveness and the need for results. In a very summary
way, we can see these major trends:
- the wish
of development cooperation programmes to be involved directly
with the players in civil society, and no longer solely with
the state;
- the wish
to involve 'beneficiaries' more closely in the definition of
projects, and to move from the logic of a supply-sided model
of development cooperation to a logic based on response to demands
and to needs;
- the desire
to provide greater continuity in those activities which are
supported, and to develop a medium-term impact in the programmes
developed;
- the desire
for greater efficiency, marked by a series of concentrations,
on the basis of geography, of coherent, structured programmes
rather than aggregates of individual projects, and of broad
priority strategies...
Common
questions
We can develop these new approaches by asking the following
questions:
- How can
we identify genuinely representative organisations in the media
sector?
- How can
we reconcile maintaining a dialogue with the state and with
representatives of the media professions?
- What new
models of cooperation and dialogue should we establish to enable
partners in the South to genuinely design and implement projects?
- How can
we prevent a "needs response" approach falling into
the model of shopping lists of demands for materials and training?
- Should
we strive for continuity? Every project is mortal, with an end
and a beginning. What should be its legacy?
- What criteria
should we use to judge when to stop? Are there not countries
where the media no longer need external support?
- How can
we measure the long-term impact of certain activities: training,
enhancing the institutional and financial environment... given
that continuity is not always visible?
Towards
som solutions
Some of the ways forward in improving strategies of media
support include:
- access,
faster, fuller, to information on trends within the sector,
enabling on-time approaches and anticipatory responses;
- more analysis
of the overall process, so as to identify - and solve - real
bottlenecks;
- further
refinement of methods and means of monitoring and evaluation,
to allow en-route changes;
- strengthening
the mechanisms for dialogue and negotiation with partners in
the South;
- working
on the environment of the media, as well as on the media themselves:
the financial, institutional, legal environments; networks for
exchange and cooperation, joint activities... The issue of continuity
suggests the need to create the most favourable - or the least
unfavourable - context for the development and professionalisation
of the independent media;
- start
to deal seriously with the relationships between the media and
their environment, and notably in the triangle of Public-Media-State.
For the media to better respond to the needs of the public,
they need to have a better understanding of those needs. The
state and the media need to improve their relations: this means
work on the rules of engagement, reciprocal rights and responsibilities,
the flow of information and communication.
Network
of funders supporting media in Africa
Operating budget for the network's technical secretariat
(per
annum, expressed in FFR)
estimate:
28 August 1996
1.
Activities 340,000
1.1 Providing
Information 150,000
Information
needs cover:
- trends
in the media sector in Africa
- activities
and programmes of funders
- This information
will be collected and disseminated in the form of a fax-letter
and directories. In addition,
- there
will be an on-demand customised information service, dealing
with specific member requests.
1.2 Analysis
and working documents 80,000
on trends
in the media and funder approaches:
- innovative
activities, impact assessment.
- Development
of thematic working papers for meetings of the network
1.3 Organising
network meetings 110,000
- Identification,
support and development of network;
- preparation,
organisation and reporting of meetings.
- Year One:
two meetings of funders
- Year Two:
one meeting of funders, one meeting of funders with beneficiaries
and partners
2.
Operational costs 44,000
2.1 Telecommunications
and reproduction 24,000
(international
telephone, fax, email, photocopying, mail) estimated at FFR 2,000
per month
2.2 Travel
and subsistence 20,000
3. Translation
costs 30,000
- Total
per year FFR 414,000
- Total
over three years (September 1996 - September 1999) FFR 1,242,000
- Comments
on budget
- Provision
should also be made for (eventual) costs of interpretation at
network meetings.
GRET staff:
secretariat
leader - half-time
secretariat
secretary - half time
GRET,
as the host organisation, will provide office space and equipment,
telecommunications infrastructure and management of the two staff
positions.
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