Innovative storytelling is the way to go for journalists.
This was the main message during Media Environment, Science, Health, and Agriculture (MESHA) at its 18th Annual General Assembly (AGA) on November 21.
MESHA, a leading science journalists network brings together over 100 members across Africa.
Speaking during the assembly which preceded election of new leaders, association Secretary Aghan Daniel challenged members to embrace innovation in order to maximise the impacts of their stories in the communities.
“The media landscape is fast changing, and that is why at MESHA, we focus on building the capacity of journalists to match the changing tides,” said Aghan.
He said journalists must strive to gain innovative skills such as mobile journalism, solutions journalism, multimedia journalism, and use of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence in telling their stories.
‘The media landscape is fast changing, and that is why at MESHA, we focus on building the capacity of journalists to match the changing ‘tides’-daniel aghan, mesha secretary
This year, MESHA conducted trainings on these skills, with over 40 journalists benefiting.
The association has also been providing story grants, mentorships, and other opportunities aimed at supporting journalists in their work.
He said even as MESHA does its part to support the members, individual journalists can individually seek for local and international opportunities available for journalists.
MESHA @20
The AGA which brought together 80 members from across Africa came ahead of the association celebrating 20 years of existence.
Mr Aghan said the association is looking at was of marking the milestone next year.
The election process began with members nominating candidates for various board positions. After a thorough vetting process, 13 nominees were picked to contest for Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, and four Ordinary Board Members slots.
The voting process reflected MESHA’s commitment to democratic governance and its vision of advancing media coverage in the critical areas of environment, science, health, and agriculture.
Bozo Jenje, from the Technical University of Mombasa, was re-elected unopposed as Chairman. This marks his second term in the role, highlighting the trust and confidence members have in his leadership.
Nduta Waweru, representing Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW), Kenya, was elected Vice Chairperson, succeeding Laura Otieno of Citizen TV.
John Riaga was retained as Treasurer, retaining his position.
John Muchangi (The Star Newspaper) and Robert Malala (Nyota TV) as ordinary board members, with Muchangi securing 38 votes and Malala garnering 46 votes. The pair was joined by Sharon Atieno (Science Africa) and Asha Bekidusa (Citizen Radio) with Atieno earning 51 votes and Bekidusa receiving 28 votes.
The new board members pledged to work diligently to propel MESHA to greater heights, building on the association’s successes while steering it toward a brighter future aware that next year will be a very busy year for the association.
In his acceptance remarks, MESHA Chairman Bozo Jenje emphasized the importance of collaboration, calling on the new board, members, and secretariat to work together harmoniously to achieve the association’s goals.
Members expressed optimism and excitement about the new leadership, flooding the board members with congratulatory messages and voicing hope for the association’s future.
The AGA also provided an opportunity to reflect on MESHA’s achievements over the past year, discuss upcoming initiatives, and set the strategic agenda for the next years. With the new leadership in place, the association is poised to strengthen its impact and continue championing informed, high-quality media coverage of issues in environment, science, health, and agriculture.
The newly elected board is expected to bring fresh energy and perspectives, ensuring that MESHA continues to serve its members and society with excellence and innovation
