The mass media and the challenges of regional integration in Africa

Abstract

This study explores the dynamics of the mass media in fostering economic, cultural, political and social interactions among people and nations of Africa. This paper argues that for the continent to realize its ambitions of regional integration, news contents must be designed by Africans for African environment. In other words, Africa’s media practitioners, and news managers must cause a paradigm shift from the western oriented information flow to news patterns that are indigenous in nature. The Lagos Plan of Action (LPA) of 1980, the Abuja Treaty of 1991 etc, are some of the laudable initiatives by African leaders which this paper extols as steps in the right direction towards pursuing Africa’s regional integration, but insists that unless African people understand themselves and their history and destiny, as well as share common problems through free flow of information, region integration process will continue to suffer setbacks. It is in line with this thinking that the paper raises some questions which includes; which ways could the media provide effective integration pattern through intra African information flow? What are the challenges of the media in African integration process? Finally, the paper takes a look on the way forward to arrest the challenges of the media in Africa.