Ms. Shoeshoe Qhu, CEO of the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), shared her perspectives ahead of the upcoming Audience and Advertising Summit, which will take place on September 16–17, 2025, at The Venue Green Park, Johannesburg, South Africa. She highlighted the urgent need to strengthen community media across the continent.
“There is a strong alignment between the summit’s objectives and the MDDA’s mandate of promoting media diversity,” said Ms. Qhu. “Community media plays a critical role in ensuring informed, engaged citizens through content that reflects local realities and African narratives. This summit allows us to showcase the initiatives we’ve supported while engaging with funders, advertisers, regulators, and industry stakeholders to explore sustainable solutions.”
Ms. Qhu noted the growing risks facing community broadcasters. “Community media is being left behind in the digital era. While global platforms like YouTube and Facebook can offer advertisers detailed audience insights, most community stations lack reliable measurement tools, which undermines their credibility and cuts off vital revenue. Funding is often patchy, regulations designed for big commercial players create further strain, while many outlets struggle to build digital capacity to reach younger audiences.”
Looking ahead, she emphasised the need for targeted interventions. “Sustainable funding, credible audience measurement, and fair regulation are essential for stability. At the same time, partnerships between advertisers, agencies, regulators, and community media are key to building new monetisation models that benefit the entire sector, not only the big players.”
She concluded with a call to action: “I hope participants leave the summit empowered to turn ideas into practical action. Together, we can ensure Africa’s media ecosystem remains diverse, vibrant, and representative of all communities.”
The Audience and Advertising Summit will bring together leaders from broadcasting, advertising, and content creation to explore innovation, collaboration, and growth strategies for Africa’s media landscape.
