By Enock Sithole
The recently concluded East African Communication Association (EACA) conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, brought together over 300 delegates from across East Africa and beyond to deliberate on the role of media in African integration, the future of journalism education and the growing impact of digital technologies on the continent.
Speaking in an interview after the event, Dr. Fred Kakooza, the newly elected Executive Director of EACA and a journalism and communication lecturer at Makerere University, in Uganda, described the three-day conference as “a success,” praising Addis Ababa University and its lead organiser, Dr. Agaredech Jemaneh, for their efforts.
“We had over 230 papers presented across various areas of media, journalism and communication,” Dr. Kazooka said. “It was a very packed conference, with robust discussions on the challenges and opportunities facing the region.”
One of the major highlights was a keynote address by Professor Guy Burger, who spoke on big data and digital platforms. Professor Burger highlighted that, despite Africa generating vast amounts of data, it remains underutilised globally due to linguistic diversity and lack of ownership of digital infrastructure.
“We don’t own the digital platforms where our data resides,” Dr. Kakooza noted. “This dependency puts us at a disadvantage and calls for stronger efforts to ensure that African data benefits African development.”
The conference also saw the launch of a new book on gender and media representation, edited by a team led by Professors Margaret Jjuuko, of the University of Rwanda. The publication, featuring contributions from universities across East Africa and beyond, explores how gender issues are portrayed in the media and aims to advance gender-sensitive journalism in the region.
Dr. Fred Kakooza
Research gap in East Africa
Another key theme was the low research output from East Africa. Professor Terje Skjerdal from NLA University College, in Norway, presented research findings showing that, while EACA conferences have seen hundreds of presentations since 2011, very few have been developed into published research.
“East Africa contributes only about three percent of Africa’s overall media and communication research output, with South Africa leading by far,” said Dr. Kakooza. “We need to focus on translating conference presentations into published work that can influence policy and practice.”
The conference addressed a wide range of topics, including artificial intelligence (AI), journalism education, public relations, media policy and the safety of journalists.
However, Dr. Kakooza acknowledged that the event was dominated by academics, with limited participation from industry professionals.
“There were some working journalists and communicators present, but the majority were academics,” he said. “Moving forward, we need to create stronger bridges between universities and the media industry to ensure our discussions remain relevant to real-world challenges.”
EACA currently has around 130 members, and Dr. Kakooza sees partnerships as key to expanding its reach and impact.
The Addis Ababa conference, held under the theme The Role of Media in African Integration, marked a pivotal moment for EACA as it seeks to strengthen its role in shaping the future of media and communication on the continent.
The venue for the next conference will be decided soon, with Kenya and Uganda having offered to host EACA 2026.
As executive director, Dr. Kakooza plans to focus on raising the association’s visibility and encouraging collaboration across the region.
“This conference showed the potential we have when we come together as scholars and practitioners,” he said. “Our challenge now is to build on these conversations and ensure they translate into meaningful change for journalism and communication in East Africa.”