BY Daniel Bampoe
The Africa Editors Forum (TAEF) has officially announced that the 2026 edition of the Africa Editors Congress (AEC) will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from February 23 to 24, 2026.
The annual gathering, widely regarded as the continent’s most influential meeting of newsroom leaders, media owners, regulators, and development partners, returns at a critical moment for African journalism.
As newsrooms grapple with shrinking revenues, digital disruption, and a deepening crisis of public trust, this year’s Congress seeks to chart a new path centred on value, credibility, and long-term sustainability.
The 2026 conference, themed “Reclaiming Value, Rebuilding Trust, Redefining Sustainability,” is expected to draw about 250 high-level participants, including editors-in-chief, national editors’ associations, regulators, competition authorities, technology companies, civic-tech organisations, donors, and academic institutions.
Nairobi was selected due to its status as one of Africa’s strongest media and technology hubs, hosting regional broadcasters, global development partners, innovation labs, and universities that support journalism and civic technology.
The AEC has, over the years, served as a platform for media stakeholders to confront structural challenges hampering African journalism.
These include weakening revenue streams, market dominance by foreign digital platforms, outdated regulatory policies, growing misinformation, and the dire underfunding of small and community newsrooms.
In recent years, the collapse of advertising markets and the dominance of global platforms have forced many news outlets to downsize, merge, or shut down entirely.
Against this backdrop, the 2026 Congress arrives at a turning point, especially following the landmark ruling of the South African Competition Commission, which found that global digital platforms must offer fair compensation to local publishers—an outcome seen as a potential game changer for the continent.
This year’s Congress is positioned as a solutions-driven convening, offering editors and media leaders practical tools, collective bargaining models, regulatory pathways, and evidence-based approaches to rebuild the value of journalism.
It also seeks to strengthen editors’ societies, which have struggled with sustainability despite playing a crucial role in advocacy, training, and promoting professional standards across Africa.
The 2026 AEC will focus on six key objectives:
1. Advancing fair compensation for African journalism by exploring collective bargaining and regulatory reforms.
2. Enhancing public trust through modern, public-interest-oriented regulatory frameworks.
3. Supporting sustainable editors’ societies capable of coordinating national media ecosystems.
4. Improving donor collaboration through predictable, long-term funding aligned with newsroom realities.
5. Promoting African-led funding models to safeguard media independence.
6. Strengthening small and community newsrooms with targeted institutional and financial support.
Programme Overview
The two-day programme will feature a mix of keynote sessions, policy dialogues, closed-door roundtables, and technical workshops:
Day 1 – February 23, 2026:
The opening session will set the tone with a keynote address on reclaiming the value of African journalism in a rapidly shifting digital environment.
Session 1 will examine fair compensation models for journalism, drawing lessons from South Africa’s landmark ruling. The session will produce an Editors’ Playbook on Collective Bargaining and Resilience.
Session 2, a closed funders’ roundtable, aims to align donor investments with long-term newsroom needs and develop a TAEF–Donor Partnership Framework (2026–2029).
Session 3 will focus on rebuilding trust through regulatory reforms suited to the realities of digital news, culminating in a Continental Statement on Public-Interest Media Regulation.
Day 1 will conclude with the bi-annual general meeting of the Africa Editors Council.
Day 2 – February 24, 2026:
Session 4 will address the strengthening of editors’ societies through improved governance and membership systems, resulting in a Toolkit for Sustainable Editors’ Societies.
Session 5 will explore homegrown African grant-making institutions with the goal of developing a concept for an Africa Journalism Fund.
Session 6 will focus on small and community newsrooms, proposing shared services, collaborative reporting structures, and targeted support. This will produce a Support Framework for Small and Community Newsrooms.
The Congress will close with commitments and a roadmap toward the Africa Media Convention 2026 and AEC 2027.
Expected Deliverables
The 2026 Congress will produce a suite of major continental policy and operational documents, including:
The AEC 2026 Communiqué
Editors’ Playbook on Collective Bargaining
TAEF–Donor Partnership Framework (2026–2029)
Continental Public-Interest Media Regulation Statement
Toolkit for Sustainable Editors’ Societies
Africa Journalism Fund Concept Outline
Framework to support small and community newsrooms
These outputs are expected to guide national and regional media reforms, donor engagements, and newsroom strategies throughout the year.
Partnership Opportunities
TAEF is inviting media organisations, technology firms, research institutions, and donors to partner in delivering the 2026 Congress.
Partnership options include financial sponsorships, technical collaborations, policy research contributions, and logistical support to ensure inclusive participation—particularly for small newsrooms.
Partners will receive co-branding, visibility, and a seat at the table in shaping the future of journalism on the continent.
Contact for Partnerships:
Sibusiso Ngalwa, Acting Secretary-General, TAEF
Email: sbungalwa@gmail.com
