A new media support project in Ethiopia

This project will run from 2023 to 2025 and will take place in three parts. CFI has been tasked with implementing the first part, which will allow for the formation of a team of trainers who will work together with the Ethiopian Media Council (EMC), a self-regulatory body, and who have received training in two key areas: the fight against misinformation and hate speech and practising journalism in sensitive environments.

That same Ethiopian institution will receive direct support from the French Embassy within the scope of the second part of the programme, which aims to strengthen its Ombudsman and improve the legal and regulatory environment in which the media operates. The third part of the programme aims to preserve the audiovisual heritage of the Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) within the scope of France's commitments to cultural preservation. France's national audiovisual institute, the Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA), will join forces with radio-télévision publique, Africa's oldest television and radio channel, to help it to preserve and digitise its archives. This will help to preserve memories belonging not just to Ethiopia, but to the African continent as a whole.

The media, key players in governance

The French Embassy released a statement emphasising that allowing the emergence of national initiatives to strengthen the media and its legitimacy as a key player in governance is a challenge faced by all democratic societies.

"France reaffirms its commitment to contribute to stability, lasting peace and social cohesion in Ethiopia by boosting the capacity of the media to produce pluralistic, reliable and inclusive information and by safeguarding the country's audiovisual heritage," the statement indicates.

The French Embassy in Ethiopia is providing €944,000 worth of funding (equivalent to 57 million Ethiopian Birrs) for this new project aimed at promoting national dialogue and the independence of Ethiopian media outlets.