Africa Media Festival 2026

Africa Media Festival 2026 was a two-day gathering held February 25–26, 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, convened by Baraza Media Lab. Under the theme “Resilient Storytelling: Reimagining Media Freedom,” the festival brought together 300+ participants spanning journalists, editors, creators, policymakers, technologists, and media innovators from 26–40+ countries to tackle the urgent realities reshaping African media.

The program focused on practical strategies for sustaining independent storytelling amid press freedom pressures, economic headwinds, and technology disruption. Key conversations explored media resilience, platform and algorithm dynamics, AI transparency and accountability, newsroom safety, audience shifts, and content monetization—alongside the accelerating creator economy and new models for collaborative, decentralized media.

Formats included workshops, demos, unconference sessions, exhibitions, and networking, designed to help attendees leave with actionable ideas and partners. A major highlight was the Africa Media Awards (with partners including Africa Editors Forum and Journalists for Human Rights), featuring the Creator for Good Award, won by Kenyan creator Mike Muchiri (Ziya) for digital social impact.