African Women in Media Conference 2025: Media as a Tool for Shaping Reality
Media plays a crucial role in shaping our communities and can be educative and gender-just spaces that drive meaningful impact for lasting change. This year’s African Women in Media Conference (AWiM25) has continued to serve as a catalyst for fostering tangible progress towards creating a media ecosystem that is inclusive and safe for everyone.
This year’s African Women in Media Conference (AWiM25), organised by the African Union Women, Gender and Youth Directorate in partnership with GIZ on behalf of Germany and other partners, was held under the theme “Beyond Commitments: Advancing Policies for Gender-Safe Media.” The conference called on participants to move from commitments to practical action, policy improvements, and everyday change within newsrooms and digital spaces.
Bringing together media professionals, academics, civil society actors, policymakers, and technology experts from across Africa, the conference has grown into the continent’s leading platform at the intersection of women’s rights and media development. Hosted at the African Union Headquarters and welcoming more than 350 delegates, this year’s gathering reflected both the strength of this community and the urgency of building media environments that are inclusive, fair, and safe for women and girls. Holding AWiM25 at the AU headquarters further highlighted the importance of these issues within the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision of a people-driven and gender-equal Africa.
AWiM25 placed strong emphasis on media policy and regulation, digital rights and technology, youth and gender inclusion, and safer working environments in the media sector. These focus areas speak directly to the everyday experiences of women journalists and media professionals, many of whom continue to face harassment, online abuse, insecure employment, and limited representation in leadership positions, despite their vital contributions to journalism and storytelling.