..
About the AU Media Fellowship programme
Launched in 2022, the African Union (AU) Media Fellowship is an initiative designed to provide a dedicated platform for African journalists and content producers to strengthen their capacity to reframe the African narrative and advance developmental journalism through the use of new and emerging technologies.
Since its inception, the AU Media Fellowship has supported 35 Fellows, drawn from North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa. The programme brings together a diverse cohort of experienced journalists and content creators, aged 25 years and above with a minimum of six years of professional experience working across multiple languages including English, French, Arabic, Kiswahili, Spanish, and Portuguese
Programme Structure and Approach
An essential pillar of the AU Media Fellowship is its structured mentorship programme, designed to provide fellows with expert guidance, professional development, and editorial support throughout their fellowship journey.
Each fellow is paired with a dedicated mentor—an accomplished media professional with over 15 years of experience in journalism, news management, content creation, or media strategy. Mentors are carefully selected based on their expertise, regional representation, and alignment with the thematic priorities of Agenda 2063. Their contributions go far beyond coaching; they serve as trusted advisors, role models, and collaborators in shaping high-quality, impactful storytelling.
The mentorship model includes:
- • Monthly mentorship sessions tailored to each fellow’s goals and project needs
- • Editorial guidance on story development, structure, sourcing, and ethical standards
- • Connection to networks, tools, and resources within the African and global media landscape
- • Practical support on pitching, multimedia production, and cross-platform storytelling
The programme follows a blended approach that combines structured mentoring with real-world newsroom application. Fellows work hands-on with their mentors to refine and deliver compelling media outputs, using newsroom methodologies and a results-driven approach that ensures measurable impact.
A key innovation of the programme is its alumni-led newsroom model, which fosters peer-to-peer learning, cross-border collaboration, and continuity beyond the fellowship cycle. Through this pan-African network, past and present fellows exchange knowledge, co-produce content, and continue shaping narratives that reflect Africa’s diversity, dynamism, and development ambitions.
Cohort 1 Fellows
Cohort 2 Fellows
Mentors Cohort 1
1. Simon Allison
Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Continent, Africa’s most widely distributed newspaper
with a readership
spanning 130 countries worldwide. Simon Allison is recognised for his leadership in
innovative, pan-African
journalism and his commitment to accessible, high-quality news reporting.
2. Tulanana Bohela
A dynamic media entrepreneur and journalist, Tulanana Bohela is the co-founder of
OnaStories, a pioneering
platform exploring storytelling through Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Artificial
Intelligence. Her
work focuses on using emerging technologies to transform how African stories are told and
experienced.
3. Natasha Kimani
Regional Director at Futurelect, Natasha Kimani has successfully led high-impact initiatives
for Africa No
Filter and Shujaaz Inc., overseeing and delivering multi-million-dollar projects that
advance youth engagement,
narrative change, and civic participation across the continent.
Mentors Cohort 2
1. Chaacha Mwita – Kenya, Male
An experienced international media consultant, Chaacha has held senior leadership roles at
the Standard Media
Group, the Aga Khan Foundation, and the Thomson Foundation, contributing significantly to
media development and
capacity building across Africa.
2. Asma Abidi – Tunisia, Female
An award-winning journalist and accomplished media trainer, Asma Abidi currently serves as a
media trainer and
mentor at DW Akademie in Berlin, where she supports emerging journalists in developing their
professional skills
and ethical standards.
3. David Mukholi – Uganda
A respected Ugandan journalist and former Managing Editor at Vision Group, David is also the
founder of the
“Let’s Talk Journalism” mentoring programme, through which he has guided and inspired a new
generation of
journalists across the region.
4. Benon Oluka – Uganda
A seasoned investigative journalist, Benon has worked with the Global Investigative
Journalism Network and the
BBC, and is the founder of The Watchdog, an independent non-profit investigative centre in
Uganda dedicated to
promoting accountability and transparency through in-depth reporting.