By Enock Sithole
Artificial intelligence, mental health, environmental communication and journalism’s struggle to adapt to a rapidly changing digital landscape will dominate discussions when journalism and communication scholars from across the globe gather in Kenya next month for the annual conference of the East African Communication Association (EACA).
With nearly 250 research abstracts submitted from across the continent and beyond, organisers say this year’s conference reflects both the diversity of communication research in Africa and the growing urgency of issues confronting journalism, higher education and society.
To be held on 26-28 August at Saint Paul’s University, about 30 kilometres from Nairobi County, the conference will explore the theme: Reimagining Communication in Africa: Media Innovation and Global Collaboration.
Dr. Gladys Muasya, the conference coordinator, said preparations were in full swing after the organisers closed the call for abstracts, receiving an overwhelming response from researchers representing universities and institutions across Africa and overseas.
“We have now closed the abstract submissions,” Dr Muasya said. “By the deadline we had received about 248 abstracts, and we are now working on the acceptance (of attendance) process and organising the conference programme.”
The conference is expected to attract academics, researchers and communication practitioners from countries including Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
According to Dr Muasya, the next stage involves placing accepted papers into parallel conference tracks spread across the three-day programme.
“We are expecting multiple parallel sessions because of the large number of presentations. The programme template is already in place, and now we are allocating papers into their respective sessions.”
The organisers are also preparing personalised acceptance letters to assist delegates in securing visas, funding and permission from their institutions to attend the conference.
Beyond the academic presentations, the conference programme will include keynote addresses, panel discussions, networking events, a visitors’ reception and the association’s annual general meeting.
Artificial intelligence takes centre stage
One of the strongest themes emerging from the submitted abstracts is artificial intelligence, reflecting the rapid transformation taking place across journalism, education and communication industries.
Researchers will examine how AI is influencing teaching and learning, journalism practice, communication strategies and public engagement.
Among the papers accepted for presentation are studies exploring teachers’ perceptions of artificial intelligence in classrooms, the role of AI in education and broader questions surrounding digital transformation in African societies.
“The conference reflects what is happening in society,” Dr Muasya said. “Artificial intelligence is one of the dominant themes.”
The prominence of AI mirrors a broader global debate over how emerging technologies are reshaping news production, information consumption and higher education, she said.
Mental health receives growing attention
Mental health has also emerged as one of the conference’s major themes.
Several presentations will examine communication strategies aimed at improving psychological wellbeing among different communities, while others will investigate the impact of journalism itself on reporters covering traumatic events.
One paper focuses on strengthening mental health support for older people through health communication, while another examines the psychological effects of trauma journalism on African journalists.
The conference will also feature practitioners demonstrating innovative digital tools, including mobile applications designed to support mental health interventions.
For Dr Muasya, the strong interest in mental health reflects growing recognition that communication plays an important role in promoting public wellbeing.
Environmental communication gains prominence
Climate and environmental communication have also secured a prominent place on the conference agenda.
Researchers will present studies examining environmental journalism as an advocacy tool, communication strategies promoting sustainable agriculture and behaviour change campaigns aimed at improving environmental management.
The growing number of environmental communication papers comes as Africa faces increasingly severe climate-related challenges, including floods, droughts, food insecurity and biodiversity loss.
The research demonstrates that communication is becoming an increasingly important component of environmental governance and public policy.
Maternal health, migration and religion
Beyond journalism and technology, delegates will explore a wide range of communication issues affecting African societies.
Research topics include maternal health communication, migration reporting, refugee representation in online media, community branding, digital faith communication, agriculture, behavioural change campaigns and journalism education.
The diversity of themes illustrates how communication studies have expanded beyond traditional media research to encompass health, governance, development, education and social transformation.
“The papers come from a wide cross-section of countries and disciplines,” Muasya explained.
International participation
Organisers are encouraged by the strong international response.
Researchers from Nigeria constitute one of the largest international delegations, alongside participants from South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
“Almost half of the papers are from outside Kenya,” Muasya noted.
She believes this international participation will strengthen scholarly collaboration and encourage greater exchange of ideas among African journalism educators.
Ebola uncertainty
Despite the encouraging preparations, uncertainty remains over the regional Ebola situation.
The neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda have recently experienced Ebola outbreaks, raising concerns about travel within East Africa.
Dr Muasya acknowledged that organisers were monitoring developments but hoped conditions would improve before the conference.
“I don’t know what the situation will be by the time the conference takes place,” she said. “We hope it will have subsided.”
The uncertainty highlights how public health emergencies continue to influence the organisation of international academic events even several years after the COVID-19 pandemic transformed global conferencing.
Regional media freedom concerns
The conference also takes place against the backdrop of growing concerns over media freedom in parts of East Africa, including recent closures of two key media platforms in Uganda.
Although no dedicated conference session has been planned around the issue, Dr Muasya expects delegates from Uganda to raise these developments during panel discussions and round-table conversations.
“Some participants from Uganda may discuss those issues because they are current developments,” she said.
The conference, therefore, provides an important platform for journalism educators to reflect on the changing political and professional environment facing African media.
Bridging academia and industry
One challenge organisers continue to face is attracting stronger participation from professional journalists and communication practitioners.
Despite approaching several major Kenyan media houses for sponsorship and participation, responses have been mixed.
“We have reached out to many media organisations,” Dr Muasya said. “Some have been more responsive than others, and we are still engaging with them.”
She nevertheless expects practitioners to participate through panel discussions and presentations, noting that many journalism educators continue to work within professional media organisations.
Strengthening collaboration between universities and newsrooms remains one of the association’s long-term goals, particularly as journalism confronts technological disruption, changing business models and evolving audience behaviour.
A mirror of Africa’s communication challenges
For Dr Muasya, the breadth of abstracts submitted to the conference demonstrates both the vitality of African scholarship and the growing complexity of communication in the digital era.
From artificial intelligence and misinformation to mental health, environmental communication, migration, agriculture and media freedom, the programme reflects the issues shaping both journalism and society across the continent.
As researchers prepare to gather in Kenya, the conference promises not only to showcase new scholarship but also to stimulate debate about how journalism education and communication research can help African societies navigate an increasingly complex information environment.
At a time when technology is transforming newsrooms, public trust in media is under pressure, and communication increasingly influences every aspect of social and economic life, the conference’s agenda suggests that journalism education is expanding beyond the newsroom to address some of Africa’s most pressing contemporary challenges.